Damage may cause temporary shutdown of power plant

The road leading up to the Aimeliik Power Plant collapsed during the weekend as a result of series of heavy rains.

As the road collapsed, telecommunication and power cables and a water pipe buried underground become at risk of being severed.{reg}

Personnel from Palau Public Utilities Corporation, Capital Improvement Program and Palau National Communications Corporation are on site until yesterday to ensure protection of exposed cables and water pipe.

PPUC Information Officer Tmetuchl Baules told Island Times that the corporation has come up with temporary access for the APP to get its supplies such as the lube oil.

“What is more concerning, however, is that the collapsed road has exposed a pipe that supplies water to the APP.  If this pipe were to break, the power plant would need to be shut down.  Thanks to the Aimeliik State Government for the use of their crane, PPUC may be able to construct a temporary bridge to supply APP with lube oil and other power plant materials,” Baules stated.

In the meantime, Baules said that PPUC is considering different options in order to prevent the pipe and road from further damage. 

As to the string of outages over the weekend, Baules said that these were mostly due to strong winds and rains.

PPUC reminds customers to secure any electrical appliances or any sensitive equipment during storms and rainy seasons in order to prevent any permanent damage. 

“Because of stormy weather, customers may from time to time experience power fluctuations throughout the stormy days,” Baules said.

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