• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A potential power infrastructure crisis was averted at the Asdes Gonzaga Substation in Bacolod City after Negros Electric and Power Corp. (Negros Power) energized a replacement transformer just 12 days after the failure of the substation’s aging unit.
Negros Power was assisted by Primelectric Holdings Inc. and the Iloilo-based MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power).
The 12-day replacement was particularly critical during MassKara Festival, when Bacolod City and neighboring communities were hosting major festivities, businesses and tourism activities that depend on stable electricity supply.
The new Hitachi Energy transformer was energized at 5:17 p.m. on Oct. 15, restoring the substation’s capacity and helping secure electricity service for about 20,000 consumers amid the peak of the festival.
The emergency started on Oct. 3 when the substation’s 37.5-megavolt-ampere (MVA) transformer, manufactured in 2006 and installed in 2007, tripped and subsequently failed.
Negros Power had been closely monitoring the nearly 20-year-old transformer through regular maintenance and dissolved gas analysis, which had detected increasing gas levels in its transformer oil.
As an immediate contingency measure, the utility transferred the loads normally served by the Asdes Gonzaga Substation to the Mt. View and Alijis substations while working to secure a replacement unit.
MORE Power then provided one of its newly acquired Hitachi Energy transformers, originally intended for expansion projects at its Megaworld TR2 and General Hughes substations.
The replacement transformer, manufactured in Bac Ninh, Vietnam, has a capacity of 30/36 MVA and a voltage rating of 69/13.8 kV.
In a statement, Negros Power president and chief executive officer Roel Castro said the rapid response and cooperation among distribution utilities demonstrated the importance of acting decisively when critical power infrastructure is at risk.
The successful energization highlighted the importance of proactive equipment monitoring, contingency planning and cooperation among power utilities in maintaining reliable and resilient electricity service, according to Negros Power. | GPB
