Full power restoration targeted by next week – DOE

Manila, Philippines – The Department of Energy (DOE) has set a Nov. 20 target to fully restore transmission lines that were toppled during the onslaught of Super Typhoon Uwan whose damage, the agency said, was far-ranging than Severe Tropical Storm Tino.

In a joint press briefing with the Office of Civil Defense on Wednesday, Nov. 12, the DOE said 108 transmission lines across Luzon snapped as Super Typhoon Uwan battered the regions, nearly double the 55 lines downed by Tino.

Restoration work is taking far longer, with some areas still flooded and roads yet to be cleared. A lineman was killed during power restoration efforts in Tino’s wake, Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said.

“Nandyan na yung makikita natin yung parang mga Spiderman na umaakyat ng tower. Sabi natin yang mga linemen are the heroes or the frontliners of the energy sector kasi what they’re doing is risky,” Fuentebella told a press briefing.

[TRANSLATION:  You will see Spiderman-like workers scaling towers. Our linemen are the heroes or the frontliners of the energy sector because what they’re doing is risky.]

“We lost one of our linemen during tropical cyclone Tino. So we really emphasize the safety bago ibalik ang serbisyo sa ating kuryente [before we restore electricity],” he said.

Of the total affected, 95 transmission lines have yet to be reconnected to the grid, data released on Wednesday showed.

Most of them are in Camarines Sur in the Bicol region, and the Cordilleras, and transmit power from the grid to the distribution utilities and electric cooperatives.

Transmission lines for big power plants and underwater cables or those that connect the Visayas to the Luzon grid have been fully energized, the data showed.

The government wants “critical facilities” like hospitals, telcos, disaster monitoring agencies, city halls and evacuation centers to have at least two generator sets – one diesel-powered and another renewables like solar – to ensure seamless and quick response, Fuentebella said, citing the directive of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.