Reported transformer fault at Tigre II substation causes power rationing in El Tigre, Venezuela

What happened

A reported fault on power transformers at the Tigre II substation in El Tigre, Anzoategui state, Venezuela, left several sectors without power and placed multiple urbanisations, shops and essential services supplied from Circuit 21 under power rationing of up to six hours a day, according to a local news account published on Instagram. The account described the failure as alleged. It said residents had gone to Corpoelec to ask about the technical state of the fault and that the problem was linked to damage to high-capacity power equipment.

It was reported that resolving the fault would require direct action by Corpoelec's general management and the Ministry for Electric Energy to allocate and transport high-power components. Two further electrical incidents were reported overnight on Thursday in the Vista Hermosa and Pueblo Nuevo Sur areas; their cause is not stated.

Contributing factors

The source reports, as alleged, damage to high-capacity power equipment at the substation. The cause has not been confirmed by the operator or the ministry. The cause of the two further overnight electrical incidents is not stated.

Lessons learned

1. Operators of high-capacity substations should hold spare or mobile transformers so that a single transformer failure does not leave feeders out of supply for an extended period.
2. Transformer replacement depends on logistics and approvals from several levels of management and government, so contingency plans should be agreed in advance.
3. Where rationing is needed during a prolonged outage, publish clear schedules so affected customers can plan.

More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, from every incident on the register.

Source

instagram.com