Bringing electricity to the highlands overnight

With many mobilized vehicles and human resources, the Da Nang electricity sector has completed the repair of the fallen pole No. 33 of the 110kV Dak Mi 4B - Phuoc Son line, restoring power supply to communes that have been without power since October 28. Photo: TRONG HUNG

Urgently fix the 110kV pole collapse problem

On the morning of November 2, Da Nang Electricity Company completed the re-energization of transformer T1 at Phuoc Son 110kV transformer station, restoring power to people in mountainous areas. Previously, since October 28, due to prolonged heavy rain, the weak ground in Phuoc Hiep commune was severely eroded, part of the hillside slid, and collapsed pole No. 33 on the Dak Mi 4B - Phuoc Son 110kV line. The wires and fiber optic cables were broken, causing the entire area to lose power.

Power outages not only disrupt the daily lives of thousands of people, but also directly affect the operations of medical stations, schools, government offices and communications. In the context of complicated floods, quickly restoring power becomes even more urgent.

Upon receiving the information, Da Nang Electricity Company deployed forces to survey the scene and immediately developed a plan to handle the situation. However, the road leading to the pole location was heavily eroded, many sections were covered with mud, forcing the working group to wait for the local authorities to temporarily open the road. It was not until the morning of October 31 that the road was initially restored that the construction teams were able to approach the area.

After nearly 3 days of continuous efforts in the rain and landslide conditions, the Da Nang electricity industry has completed the repair of the fallen pole number 33 of the 110kV Dak Mi 4B - Phuoc Son line. Photo: TRONG HUNG

The rugged terrain, narrow roads, steep slopes, and thick mud prevented any motorized vehicles from getting deep into the pole-building area. Construction equipment and materials such as steel poles, bolts, wires, ground wires, etc. had to be transported manually by human power. On some steep slopes, workers had to use ropes as a towline and cling to tree trunks as support to lift the materials up.

Mr. Tran Van Minh, an employee of the High Voltage Grid Enterprise, shared: “There are steep sections where every step makes us slip, we have to walk slowly, holding on to the earthen wall. Everything is heavy, but we know that people are waiting. Just thinking about the light returning, everyone makes an effort.”

Under heavy rain, workers worked in shifts, taking advantage of the hours when the rain stopped to build foundations, install poles, and stretch ropes.

Mr. Nguyen Huy Hoang, Director of Da Nang High Voltage Grid Enterprise, said: “We made a plan, prepared materials and mobilized forces on the first day of receiving information about the incident. When the access road was temporarily cleared, all human resources and equipment were urgently deployed. The difficulty was great, but the spirit of the brothers at the scene was not to let the village lack electricity for any longer.”

By the afternoon of November 1, after nearly two days and one night of non-stop construction, the new pole was firmly erected, the conductors and fiber optic cables were completely connected, and the technical parameters met standards. The re-energization of T1 of Phuoc Son 110kV Station was carried out safely.

Ensure uninterrupted power supply

Restoring the 110kV power source was just the first step. Immediately after that, the Hiep Duc Power Management Team deployed to check the low voltage grid, handle fallen trees, dirty insulation and safety risks due to rain and floods to reconnect power to each residential area. Mr. Ta Dai, Team Leader of the Hiep Duc Power Management Team informed: "We urgently worked through the night to complete the power supply to the people as soon as possible."

p3(1).jpg — Power was restored at Phuoc Son 110kV Transformer Station after completing troubleshooting. Photo: TRONG HUNG

At the same time, units under the Da Nang Electricity Company across the area actively resolved incidents caused by floods in other areas: checking poles, repairing wires, cleaning insulation, supporting people to ensure electrical safety in their homes...

When the lights came back on in the houses in the mountainous area of Phuoc Son, many people were moved to call and say: “The power is back!”. For the workers and engineers who were cleaning up the scene in the cold rain, it was a great encouragement, ready to overcome danger to keep the power supply running.

According to Da Nang Electricity Company, as of 7 p.m. on November 1, there were still 10,654 customers whose power supply had not been restored due to the impact of floods (accounting for 1.2% of the total 876,552 customers). Thus, more than 260,000 customers had their power supply restored after the floods. In the two days of October 30 and 31 alone, about 165,000 customers were restored; on November 1, more than 95,000 customers were restored, demonstrating the great efforts of the units in complex weather and terrain conditions.

Many areas have been completely supplied with electricity. However, some places are still inaccessible due to flooding and traffic disruption, such as Tra Leng, Tra Giap, Nam Tra My, Hung Son, Ha Nha, Nong Son... Da Nang Electricity Company is continuing to inspect the 22kV line and transformer station and will turn on the power as soon as safety is ensured. For areas that are still isolated, the company will organize forces and means to approach and fix the problem, striving to restore power supply as soon as possible.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/xuyen-dem-dua-dien-ve-vung-cao-3309016.html