Published
By Myrna M. Velasco
Protection of
right-of-way (ROW) areas along transmission lines is being asked so power
interruptions could be avoided especially when demand would peak during the
summer months.
Transmission service
provider National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) warned that if ROW
areas are being obstructed, such as the three incidents that it just recorded
recently in Pampanga and Pangasinan, it is not far-fetched that power supply
flow in the grid could be compromised.
It cited that on
January 7 this year, a dump truck hit into a transmission pole in San Simon,
Pampanga – toppling the facility and had in turn caused localized brownouts
affecting NGCP’s directly connected industries.
Additionally, on the
latter part of January, another truck ran into the Labrador-Bolinao 69-kilovolt
transmission line of NGCP, and this had cut off power supply to consumers in
the affected areas,
NGCP has been
constantly reminding the public about the importance of not impeding the
right-of-way domains of power utilities because such could impact adversely on
the provision of electricity service to consumers.
The transmission firm
emphasized that “our ROW clearances are in place not only to guard our lines
from damage,” noting further that “the clearances are primarily there to
protect the integrity of the grid.”
On the more specific
sphere, it noted that “when objects such as billboards breach these distances,
they don’t need to physically touch the line for electricity to jump and flow
through the object in breach.”
To duly protect NGCP
power lines, it has been prescribed that there are certain distances that must
be observed away from the facilities: chiefly a 15-meter circumference around
the center of a 69kV tower; 30 meters for 115kV and 138kV towers; 40 meters for
230kV towers; 50 meters for 350kV towers and 60 meters for 500kV towers.
The transmission firm
further cautioned on “putting up any structure or doing any construction work
near or underneath transmission lines as these might breach ROW clearances and
cause unnecessary power interruptions.”
The other dilemma of
the transmission company is on ‘informal settlers’ that have been residing
dangerously close to its facilities, stressing that it is not only power
interruptions that are being feared here, but also probable human deaths.
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