Hay burning sets brownout in four Ilocos provinces

By Freddie G. Lazaro

BALAOAN, La Union -- A farmer’s burning of hay across a field in Barangay Masupe here, caused the sudden brownout experienced in the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, and La Union last Monday morning.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said the burning of hay was done directly under the NGCP’s transmission lines and spotted by NGCP field inspectors around 9 a.m.

“Our technical men found the burning hays along the field in Balaoan, La Union during their immediate inspection of transmission lines upon the shut–off of power supply in the Ilocos,” NGCP-North Luzon Spokesperson Lilibeth P. Gaydowen said yesterday.

“I am appealing to all residents in Ilocos region not to build a fire near or under transmission structures as it could cause power interruptions because the fire’s smoke can ionize the air around the energized conductor that may serve as a possible path of current to the ground,” she explain.

The sudden loss of power in the four provinces happened as Commission on Elections (Comelec) offices opened the first day of the filing of the certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the May 9, 2016 elections.

Electricity was restored by 10:08 a.m. and the farmer had been informed by NGCP field inspectors of the repercussions of his actions.