Linesmen clear trees to avoid power cuts to Madang
Tall trees growing under power lines and transmission towers that have been the cause of power supply into Madang being cut off were cleared over the weekend.
Linesmen from Yonki patrolled and cut the trees from Assas to Walium on Sunday, 19 June 2016.
Power supply to Madang was temporarily cut from 8am – 4pm to allow for this line clearance work to be carried out.
There are 384 transmission towers with lines carrying 66,000 volts from Ramu to Madang and this transmission corridor passes through thick forests, gardens and villages.
Along this transmission corridor, tall trees and shrubs get in contact with the power lines, causing short circuits and power cuts to the Ramu and Madang supply. These are high voltage lines and are a great risk for locals as well.
In order to avoid electrocution and unnecessary power cuts, PPL linesmen led by Peter Joseph and Petrus Andandi took the whole day using bush knives to carryout line clearance at Kesowai, Assas, Yakumbu and Walium covering a total of one (1) kilometre between six (6) spans of transmission towers.
These hot spots were identified earlier this year during an aerial survey and reports revealed that the regrowth of trees and shrubs was the main cause of short circuits and line trips along the transmission corridor between Ramu and Madang.
The team will continue with line clearance at other hot spots in the coming weeks and months. They will also do line clearance along the transmission corridor connecting Erap and Bulolo.
After this line clearance, proper maintenance and upgrade will be done to replace power lines, insulators and repairs on towers from Madang to Yonki to completely stop issues affecting the high voltage transmission line, L605 from Gusap to Madang.
To assist with the reduction in power interruptions, PPL advises the general public throughout the country not to plant trees under power lines because it is very dangerous. When there are strong winds, tree branches usually fall onto power lines and break them.
The public is urged to contact PNG Power’s Call Centre on 7090 8000 / 7653 5261 or 7653 5273 when they see trees touching power lines, so that the lines crew can clear the lines.
Chris Bais, Chief Executive Officer, PNG Power Ltd
