Equipment failure and total system outages for electricity will remain an issue at this stage until all the old infrastructures are replaced.
Equipment failure and total system outages for electricity will remain an issue at this stage until all the old infrastructures are replaced.
PNG Power acting executive general manager – national systems operations Ivan Pekaea told this paper last night that the unexpected total outage on Monday at the Port Moresby grid resulted from a cracked insulator on one of the three phases of the transmission line (c-phase to neutral fault).
He explained that this line L545 connects Moitaka substation to NiuPower at a distance of 27km apart.
Proper inspection of the fault showed a newly built bird’s nest just above the cracked insulator disc which caused a flashover resulting in the fault and a total blackout at 6:40pm.
In response to this fault, he said the protection system isolated the fault at both ends of the lines which meant NiuPower Station carrying 55 per cent (53.4MW) of the POM demand was also isolated from the grid creating a generation imbalance.
“Voltage and frequency quickly declined resulting in the power system collapsing to a total blackout.
Despite PPL’s back up protection systems and available machine responses, the system was not able to recover from this steep decline.
“With respect to the timing of the total blackout, all the events from L546 tripping to load shedding and generator trips occurred within 47ms as registered by the protective devices,” he said.
“Events such as this are inevitable due to the current configuration of the transmission network which PPL is currently investing into building new double circuit transmission lines through PPL’s PEP partners.
“The lack of funding has seen no capital investment in this area for the last 20 years, which PPL has recognised as a key in improving reliability,” he added.
Mr Pekaea said 90 per cent of the blackouts in POM are attributed to transmission line faults at an average of two total blackouts per month compared to one per month in the Ramu grid.
PPL anticipates these numbers to improve as it implements its reliability improvement and grid stabilisation plans.
THE Rearea Women in Agriculture Business group had a life skills training closing service held recently at a ceremony in Rearea village, in Central Province, conducted by AA Tribal and facilitated by NiuPower through its community investment program.
PNG Power owes independent power producers K200 million, says their representative.
NiuPower has donated two Solar vaccine fridge to the Salvation Army run clinic located in the village to serve the people of Papa Lealea along Hiri west as part of the company`s health support program.
THE Rearea Women in Agriculture Business group had a life skills training closing service held recently at a ceremony in Rearea village, in Central Province, conducted by AA Tribal and facilitated by NiuPower through its community investment program.
PNG Power owes independent power producers K200 million, says their representative.
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