TEMPO.CO, Banda Aceh - Deputy Manager for Legal and Public Affairs of state electricity company PLN of Aceh Chapter, Bahrul Halid, said that his office is continuously revamping the facilities affected by the earthquake in the region.

“We’re continuously doing the repairment to restore the electricity networks,” Bahrul said on Thursday, December 8, 2016.

According to Bahrul, a number of electrical facilities owned by PLN were damaged, among others are 84 distribution transformers. The medium voltage electricity network cable with the length of 500 meter circuit (ms) located in Samalanga and 25 kilometer circuit (kms) in Meureudu-Beureunun are also broken.

The condition is worsened with the colapsed of 48 medium voltage poles and 60 low voltage poles. “The damaged facilities are located in three areas, namely Samalanga (Bireuen District), Maureudu (Pidie Jaya District) and Beureunun (Pidie District),” he said.

Bahrul said that Samalanga could not receive 500 kilowatt (kw) power caused by the damages, while along the Beureunun-Meureudu could not get 6 megawatts (mw) of power. The three regions had also experienced power outage a moment after the earthquake hit which affected around 40,000 PLN customers.

The repairment, he said, involves dozens of technicians that were sent in from Banda Aceh and from regions surrounding the location of the earthquake. Bahrul expects that the power supply will be go back to normal within two or three days.

ADI WARSIDI