Forest fires burn power lines: cause MP electricity shortage

By Gina Dizon

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Forest fires have been ravaging the forests of this mountainous Province resulting to electric posts getting burned, electric lines getting grounded  and power “tripping” resulting to  brown-out  affecting thousands of households.

This, as Mountain Province Electric Company (MOPRECO) general manager Jude Domoguen and Provincial Natural Resources Office (PENRO) officer Manny Pogeyed urged barangay local government units enact rules on forest fire prevention in their respective ordinances.

Updates during during separate press conferences conducted here with members of the Montanosa Press Club that power brown-outs have been noted in Sagada, Besao, Tadian, Sabangan, Bauko, Bontoc and Natonin the past five days from March 19 to March 23 traced to forest fires.

Domoguen said power tripped due to grounded transmission lines and these getting in contact with the other when electric posts got burned or toppled down due to mountain fires.

The raging mountain inferno noted in six municipalities of the Province affected electric feeders 1, 2, and 3 and power blackouts to 19,417 household- consumers of the Province.

Power tripping due to forest fires came earlier than the scheduled National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) brown-out from 7am to 6 pm in March 19 affecting MOPRECO-serviced areas of the 10 municipalities of the Province.

Power tripped at 1:05 a.m. of March 19 covering Mopreco feeder 3 due to four electric poles burned at mounts Balitian and Ipis at Bontoc affecting 13,628 consumers in municipalities Bontoc and Natonin. Power only resumed at 12:14 pm on March 20 after Mopreco crew have to carry the poles up the mountains and replace the burned electric posts.  

On March 20, another power interruption was noted at 10:25 am to 11:16 am resulting from a forest fire at Balili, Bontoc that burned Mopreco’s service drop.

On March 20, power brown out was noted at 3:20 pm to 7 p.m. in Sagada and Besao due to the burning of three electric posts at mount Ampanga at Antadao, Sagada affecting 5,100 consumers.

A power interruption was noted in Sabangan near the vicinity of TESDA building due to the burning of one electric post   from 4:11 am to 9: am on same day of March 22.

Still on the same day, another electric tripping was noted at 10:30 pm which lasted till 10 o’clock morning on the next day March 23 due to an electric line hit by a burned tree at Maba-ay, Bauko traced to a forest   fire.

A brief power interruption was noted at Natonin affecting feeder 3 from 7:00 to 7:11 due to water-grounded transmission lines. 

The brief brown- outs March 21 were unscheduled NGCP interruptions.

Domoguen said prevention of forest fires is a “concern of everybody”. He called on barangay officials to enact their respective ordinances in setting rules on forest  fire prevention.

Pogeyed said barangay officials take note of the danger period when continuous period of absence of rain results to a forests  vulnerable to fire due to moisture lost in and on the surface of the soil, and regulate activities in forested areas.