Tuesday December 26, 2006
TNB will take months to restore supply to flood-hit areas
By IZATUN SHARI
PETALING JAYA: After the devastation brought by the rains, flood victims now have to brace themselves for another blow – they may have to go without power for the next few months.
Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has admitted that it was ill-prepared for the floods and will need time to complete repairs and restore electricity supply to all affected areas.
A total of 788 substations, mostly in Johor, have been closed down as of noon yesterday, affecting some 75,000 households.
TNB president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh said more substations would be shut down should the floods worsen.
“The flood is the worst experienced by TNB over the last 30 years,” he told a press conference yesterday after a meeting on supply in flood-hit areas in Johor, Malacca, Pahang and Negri Sembilan.
Che Khalib said full restoration of supply would take months.
TNB, he said, had received many calls asking why power supply could not be restored immediately after the waters had gone down.
“We want to restore supply as soon as possible but it will be difficult because the substations are located in flooded areas,” he noted.
Che Khalib said TNB closed down a damaged transmission tower in Kota Tinggi because the ground it stood on was getting soft due to the floods.
This caused a total power shutdown in the town and surrounding areas.
TNB, he said, estimated that the damage from the floods would cost it RM10mil, with RM5mil going to equipment and the rest for clean-up and to restore supply.
He said TNB had deployed at least 60 personnel from Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru to speed up the restoration of electricity to users.
Customers would have their meters replaced for free and should contact the nearest TNB office when the flood situation improved.
“We can install the meters within one day,” he said.
Customers returning to their homes after the floods are advised to seek help from authorised contractors to inspect wiring in their houses to ensure it is safe to use.
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