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Phuket mains power supply switchover arrives

Phuket mains power supply switchover arrives

PHUKET: At 10am tomorrow (Dec 4), Phuket’s high-voltage mains power supply from the mainland will be switched over from the old 115kV supply the island has been relying on for years to the new network that can support up to 500kV.

construction
By Tanyaluk Sakoot

Tuesday 3 December 2019 05:51 PM


Workers complete the finishing touches to the new power supply lines over Phuket. Photo: Egat

Workers complete the finishing touches to the new power supply lines over Phuket. Photo: Egat

Boonthum Charoenpong, Manager of the Phuket branch of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), explained that the mains supply will be increased from 115kV to 230kV tomorrow.

“There is no need to worry. The switchover will not cause any harm or affect electrical appliances in houses or businesses,” Mr Boonthum said.

The move to boost the supply aims to reduce the number of power surges, brownouts and blackouts caused by overdrawing on the current system afflicting residents and businesses under a B1 billion project launched by the Electricity Generation Authority of Thailand (Egat) in 2015.

“Phuket’s power will be more reliable,” Mr Boonthum said.

The switchover was initially set for Nov 19, then pushed back to Nov 30. (See story here.)

Egat official Sataporn Trangrattapit told The Phuket News today that the delay since then was due to last-minute checks and finishing touches to the new system.

“The plan is to increase the electricity supply to Phuket to 500kV overall,” he said.

“Electricity generated at Ratchaprapa Dam in Surat Thani will be supplied directly to Phuket by around July 2020,” he said.