Explosion at Bacolod port downs power in Negros Occidental, Panay island
BACOLOD, Philippines – An explosion of still unknown origin at the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corporation (BREDCO) port area cut off power in this city and a large swathe of Negros Occidental, as well as the whole of Panay island in the early hours of Saturday, October 15.
A few minutes before 1 a.m., videos popped up on social media showing an explosion sound and fire at the BREDCO reclamation area that hosts the port. Shortly after, power went out in much of the city.
Sunshine Gonzales, who took this video from the city’s bay walk around 12:56 a.m., said she and her companions initially thought it was fireworks but saw thick smoke after.
Nobody has been reported as injured.
Power utility firm Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO), in an advisory, said the power went off at 12:58 a.m.
It cited “activation of protective equipment due to transient fault’ as the reason for the loss of power in the affected feeders 69 KV Bacolod-Silay, Bacolod-Reclamation, Bacolod-Bata, Bacolod-San Enrique, and Bacolod-Alijis-Murcia.
The power utility firm caters to the cities of Bacolod, Bago, Talisay, and Silay, and towns of Murcia and Salvador Benedicto.
In a 2:30 update on the restoration of power in the Burgos and Mt. View Feeders and Hilangban feeders, Ceneco said the reason for power loss “damaged recloser and power cables of Reclamation Feeder 5.”
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said the incident at Bredco also tripped its Transmission grid in Panay.
In an advisory, it said the whole Panay and portions of Negros Occidental were affected.
Past 3 a.mm, the Iloilo Electric Cooperative III, however, announced that power had been restored to its area of coverage.
This is a developing story and Rappler will update as developments occur. – Rappler.com