Global Courant 2023-04-29 11:03:03
The high temperatures that have caused an increase in the demand for energy and the lack of investment in the systems has caused failures that have left without electric power to various areas of Honduras.
The cuts of energy Unscheduled events have occurred more frequently this week, especially on Tuesday, April 25, when due to a failure in various elements of the transmission system, the northern, western, and coastal areas of the country were left without electricity for several hours.
According to a statement from the Enee National Dispatch Center, the failure in the transmission system affected the transformers of the Progreso substation (T601 and T603), leaving 17 circuits without service, and due to a failure in the EMCE generation plant in the Choloma substation, four circuits were left without service. Due to the damage, electrical service was not restored to these residents as quickly as to other sectors.
Overload
Salomon Ordonezenergy expert and former president of the Honduran Association of Electric Power Producers (Ahpee), said that the high temperatures, especially in the sula valleyplus high demand generate overload and cause systems to “trigger”.
“Most of our lines in the Sula Valley are overloaded. When there is a warming as high as what is happening, the first thing that happens are blackouts due to failures in the substations and distribution lines, ”he said.
He indicated that each substation has its protection system, and when there are temperatures so high and overload that it can damage the equipment, the operation is suspended to “save” the equipment, and that is when the interruption comes and the temperature is expected to drop to reconnect .
He clarified that there may be other failures that are those that occur due to lack of generation, generally these occur at night, during peak demand hours.
“If there are blackouts at night, it is for that reason; during the day it is due to high temperatures and system failures. This will continue to happen due to the high temperatures and this heat wave will continue into May, ”he pointed out.
energy expert
Kevin Rodriguez:
“The electricity market has to be opened to improve the service, so that there is competition.”
kevin rodriguezan energy expert, said that the lack of rain, the heat wave, the high demand and the lack of investment in the systems for many years take their toll through blackouts.
“This is going to continue to happen, but this date is too early for it to start happening. If we remember, in 2019 there was a blackout at the Central American level that originated in Honduras, and that was between June and July, and in 2021 it was a blackout at the Central American level in July. They will continue to occur and they will be worse and worse, ”he said.
samuel rodrigueza renewable energy generating agent, said that sudden failures and blackouts are normal given the high demand due to high temperatures and the lack of investments.
“We are going to wait for more failures. As failures that are resolved in one or two hours can continue, we are on the verge of more critical failures happening, because when a transformer is left out we don’t have spare parts”.
