EFL: Facts on wiring

Energy Fiji Limited CEO

There has been a total misinterpretation of statements and facts in your article ‘Poor Electrical Installation Poses Danger of Fire in Squatter Settlements’. Listed below are facts when connecting customer installations to the EFL grid.

• Informal (squatter) settlements are not subdivided and settlers populate these areas on an ad-hoc basis with building extension/modifications happening overnight in a lot of cases.

• At the time of initial inspection, all stipulated electrical clearance distances and wirings are ensured to be compliant as per required standards before any customer is connected to the EFL grid.

• A customer’s service mains (black wire connecting the customer installation to the EFL grid) is connected by an EFL Inspector to the EFL grid/power pole in the presence of the registered electrical contractor who wired the installation and is responsible for the route and connections on any intermediate pole prior to termination at the customer’s premises

• The customer service mains and any service/intermediate pole are the property of the owner/customer. It is therefore, the responsibility of the owner to ensure that the electrical installation (service mains & internal wiring) is safely maintained at all times. In the event of any damages and or where safety may be compromised, customers are requested to engage the services of a registered licensed electrical contractor for remedy or repairs. A permit needs to be lodged with EFL by the registered electrical contractor before any works are undertaken for EFL to inspect and approve thereafter.

We hope that the above clarifies the issue and we acknowledge and appreciate the assistance of the media in creating much needed safety awareness. The media plays an active role in promoting electrical safety and more media awareness can be carried out to educate the informal sectors.