SAFETY FIRST
EFL Boss says they don’t want anyone killed restoring power
The risk to life, plus accessibility are primary issues behind the length of time it’s taking to restore electricity
around the country, following Tropical Cyclone Sarai (TC Sarai).
Energy Fiji Limited (EFL) chief executive officer Hasmukh Patel said 90 per cent of electricity should be restored around the country by today. Electricity supply was disrupted at around 8pm on Friday as TC Sarai – a category two storm, approached the country from the west.
Manpower
With a manpower of 300 people working around the clock to ensure safe electricity supply, Mr Patel said EFL had 9000 kilometres of overhead powerlines to inspect before electricity would be fully restored nationwide.
“How do you inspect 9000 kilometres of overhead network in one day?,” he said while responding to public concerns over the delay in reconnecting electricity.
EFL estimated $1.5 million for repairs linked to TC Sarai, Mr Patel said. In 2016, EFL spent $33million on repairs following Tropical Cyclone Winston.
As of 2pm yesterday, EFL had restored electricity to the Western Division where power shedding was implemented during Cyclone
Sarai.
“We don’t choose and pick our supply,” Mr Patel said of residents who claimed they were without electricity while their neighbours did.
Processes have to be followed as long as overhead powerlines are damaged, he said.
“We are only into the third day and people are panicking,” Mr Patel said.
It took EFL just over six months to fully restore electricity around the country in 2016, following Cyclone
Winston, he pointed out.
For as long as there were overhead power lines, damage was to be expected depending on the strength of the cyclone, he said.
Transmission connection
The Western Division was inundated with heavy rain prior to TC
Sarai which cost the transmission connection to the Monasavu hydro power station, he said.
That, in turn, affected electricity supply to the Western Division. Last Friday, water pumped out of the hydropower station was pushed back by rising water levels brought on by TC Sarai.
It prompted the executive decision to switch off power supply at around 8pm the same day, as a safety measure.
Electricity supply to one division was overloaded.
“Even rain can damage power lines, and you have had landslides, and towers fallen over,” Mr Patel said.
He called on the public to educate themselves on the processes and principles involved in restoring power.
“They do not know the process that we follow,” he said.
EFL was successful on its third attempt yesterday doing an aerial survey of damage to powerlines running to the hydropower stations, Mr Patel said.
It was there EFL discovered a landslide had affected-lines to Monasavau.
Cloud coverage and unfavourable weather conditions limited the first two attempts for an aerial survey at the weekend.
Yesterday, Mr Patel returned from the West after an EFL team had successfully carried out an aerial survey of the damage to Nadarivatu.
Parts of the roads to the hydropower station were washed away, he said.
Mr Patel said he always had a helicopter on standby when a cyclone approached so aerial surveys could be done as soon as possible.
But helicopters could not safely fly into the mountainous interior of Viti Levu in bad weather.