Transformer issue causes unscheduled brownout in San Fernando

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – A power outage happened unexpectedly on Sunday night, April 27, at around 10:05 PM in parts of San Fernando due to a problem with the temperature sensor of the power transformer of Greenville substation.

The temporary shutdown was triggered by the malfunction in the protective device of the transformer’s winding temperature meter. This serves as a safety feature that automatically shuts down the transformer to prevent damage.

The said substation supplies power in the following areas:

• Feeder 15: Barangays Lourdes and Dolores, including Villa Barosa and Gemsville 1

• Feeder 11: Del Carmen, S&R, Laus Group Complex, Dolores Heights, Woodgrove, and Home Depot

• Feeder 16: San Jose, Greenville Subdivision, Queensborough, San Jose Village, and East Gate Subdivision

Two major malls—SM City Pampanga and Robinsons Starmills—also lost power.

Power in all affected feeders was restored after 11 minutes. However, it went out again at around 1:06 AM. To prevent more outages, electrical engineers isolated and bypassed the protective relay. All power transformers of San Fernando Electric Light and Power Company (SFELAPCO) undergo periodic preventive maintenance.

The brownout occured during separate campaign events by two mayoral candidates in Barangay San Jose.

Atty. Cathy Diaz, spokesperson for the SFELAPCO, apologized to the public, especially those affected during the campaign activities.

“We are truly sorry for the sudden power interruption. Since it was unscheduled, we couldn’t provide advance notice. But our linemen acted quickly and worked hard to restore power,” said Diaz.

SFELAPCO said it is doing everything it can to keep power stable and uninterrupted during the election period, as mandated by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). #