AN OFFICIAL from the dam which is the source of Phuket's power supply says measures are being taken to prevent a repetition of Tuesday night's serious island-wide blackout.
Other power officials based on Phuket directed Phuketwan to Narin Wongteppabud, who works at the electricity station at Chiewlarn Dam in Surat Thani.
''Phuket and Phang Nga will both have substations storing their own power in 2010,'' Khun Narin said.
Tuesday night's dramatic blackout came as workers changed transformers at the power station at the 95-metre tall dam.
While Phuket's entire electricity supply comes from the dam, only some parts of Phang Nga use that as a source. Other parts of Phang Nga get their power from Ranong.
''The sub-station in Phuket should restore public confidence in the power supply system,'' he said. ''Unfortunately mechanical breakdowns can occur at any time.
''It was fortunate that we had the capacity to replace the transformer straight away, otherwise the blackout could have lasted for an extended period.''
The complete blackout on the island came around 7pm after smaller failures during the afternoon.
Power came back within an hour in most areas, although some parts of the island appeared to have power restored faster than others.
Police in Patong said that power was out there between 4pm and 8pm. Residents in Chalong did not have power restored until closer to 9pm.
Island traffic was thrown into chaos on the roads as intersection lights failed.
Surat Thani is about 200 kilometres from Phuket.
Phuket Plunged into Darkness by Power Blackout
Photo Album Where were you when the lights went out? Phuket suffered an island-wide blackout not long after sunset tonight, raising doubts about the reliability of the mainland supply line.
Phuket Plunged into Darkness by Power Blackout
Other power officials based on Phuket directed Phuketwan to Narin Wongteppabud, who works at the electricity station at Chiewlarn Dam in Surat Thani.
''Phuket and Phang Nga will both have substations storing their own power in 2010,'' Khun Narin said.
Tuesday night's dramatic blackout came as workers changed transformers at the power station at the 95-metre tall dam.
While Phuket's entire electricity supply comes from the dam, only some parts of Phang Nga use that as a source. Other parts of Phang Nga get their power from Ranong.
''The sub-station in Phuket should restore public confidence in the power supply system,'' he said. ''Unfortunately mechanical breakdowns can occur at any time.
''It was fortunate that we had the capacity to replace the transformer straight away, otherwise the blackout could have lasted for an extended period.''
The complete blackout on the island came around 7pm after smaller failures during the afternoon.
Power came back within an hour in most areas, although some parts of the island appeared to have power restored faster than others.
Police in Patong said that power was out there between 4pm and 8pm. Residents in Chalong did not have power restored until closer to 9pm.
Island traffic was thrown into chaos on the roads as intersection lights failed.
Surat Thani is about 200 kilometres from Phuket.
Blackout Photo Album
Phuket Plunged into Darkness by Power Blackout
Photo Album Where were you when the lights went out? Phuket suffered an island-wide blackout not long after sunset tonight, raising doubts about the reliability of the mainland supply line.
Phuket Plunged into Darkness by Power Blackout
