MANILA - The Department of Energy (OE) on Monday said power has yet to be restored in the Bicol region as typhoon Rolly damaged both transmission lines and distribution lines in the region.

“Totally wala pa po silang kuryente dun because ang atin pong transmission line, distribution line that connect to the customers, sira po,” said Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi during Monday night’s briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte.

Cusi said they estimate that Rolly, which slammed into the Bicol region as a super typhoon, caused P2.8 billion worth of damage on the region’s power infrastructure.

The energy chief said power has been restored in most of the Calabarzon region, with only around 19,000 customers as of 6 p.m. still without electricity.

[Typhoon Rolly knocks out power in Bicol, parts of Calabarzon
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/01/20/typhoon-rolly-knocks-out-power-in-bicol-parts-of-calabarzon]

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Cusi said power plants were unaffected by the storm and only shut down operations as a preemptive measure.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) meanwhile said it has restored transmission lines in Batangas which were affected by typhoon Rolly, but has yet to restore most of the transmission lines in the hard-hit Bicol region.

On its official Facebook page, the NGCP said it has mobilized line crews and is currently conducting aerial and ground patrols to assess the impact of the typhoon to speed up the restoration of affected facilities.

In the Bicol region, the NGCP said it has restored a transmission line connecting Naga City and Concepcion town in Camarines Sur.

But transmission lines that deliver power to 7 electric cooperatives in the Bicol region and parts of Quezon province have yet to be restored.

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