BENECO linemen expedite power restoration following emergency outage

BAGUIO CITY – An unforeseen emergency power interruption occurred at around 4:11 PM on Thursday, September 21, 2023, when a massive pine tree fell onto BENECO power lines at the junction of New Lucban and Rimando Road. 

This incident resulted in significant damage to five utility poles and the malfunction of two distribution transformers.

In response to this emergency, a team of forty-one BENECO linemen, supported by two Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Engineers, Christopher George Tait and Geoffrey Angway, along with two Construction Management Officers, Engr. Roy Olatic and Engr. Steve Macay, has been working tirelessly to expedite power restoration for a substantial portion of our power consumers who rely on Feeders 5 and 5A, both affected by this incident.

The SCADA engineers have taken strategic actions to facilitate the restoration process, including isolating or diverting certain areas:

• Isolating the load break switch (LBS) at Rimando Road near the Jehovah’s Witnesses Church to enable the energization of Feeder 5.
• Isolating the loop jumper near the Chinese Hospital in Trancoville to facilitate the energization of Feeder 5A.
• Diverting the load of SLU Bonifacio Recloser to Feeder 6.
• Diverting the load of SLU Rotonda to Feeder 6.

As of the latest update, SCADA engineers report that the remaining areas without electricity include parts of ABCR, sections of Upper/Lower Brookside, and Honeymoon-Holyghost.

According to BENECO Information Officer Laarni S. Ilagan, five trucks are currently deployed at the site to expedite the restoration process.

Earlier, power had been successfully restored to the entire Trancoville area, as well as Alfonso Tabora, sections of South Sanitary Camp, portions of ABCR, segments of Holyghost Proper, and sections of Bonifacio Street.

This followed earlier restoration efforts in other areas affected by the emergency power interruption.