Second blackout for Upolu in less than a week

Apia, SAMOA — The second power loss in less than a week threw the island of Upolu into the dark on Tuesday around 8.30 pm Samoa Time.

According to the Samoa Observer, the blackout did not spare the National Hospital at Motootua with patients reportedly wandering in the dark and vehicle headlights were used to shine light into the facility. The ongoing power outage raises questions about whether the National Hospital has a backup generator during such time.

Residents in Tiapapata reported their power was restored in the area by 9.30 pm, meanwhile, some areas in Vaitele were still without power even after 10 pm. 

Those on the island of Savaii confirmed the big island did not face the same problem and were still enjoying a steady supply of electricity.

A notice issued on Wednesday night by the Samoa Electric Power Corporation (EPC) said that at 8:25 pm there was a complete power outage across the island of Upolu due to a fault in one of the underground power lines.

“Our team has successfully restored power to the Alaoa Feeder and part of the Hospital Feeder, while work continues to inspect the connections of our high-voltage lines to ensure they are safe before fully restoring power to the rest of the island.”

Earlier on Tuesday before the outage, the EPC General Manager, Faumui Iese Toimoana explained what triggered the Sunday blackout. 

He said the system that produces electricity in Fiaaga is transmitted through underground cables to Fuluasou that distribute power to various areas of the country. 

According to Faumui, the problem stemmed from the cable that runs through Tuanaimato golf course to Fuluasou which got cut and it took time to identify where the fault was. 

He assured power was quickly restored at the National Hospital and the South Coast area on Sunday. The other areas of Upolu were connected after a 12-hour outage on Sunday. 

Furthermore, he revealed the corporation is working on procuring a $5 million diesel generator with a capacity of producing five megawatts of electricity. 

Asked if the EPC has funds to purchase another generator, he replied yes, there were funds for it and the corporation had insurance in events of natural disaster or when it is needed like the ongoing power disruption. 

Faumui also addressed concerns from the general public alleging the power outage is damaging expensive household appliances. He said under the EPC Act, the corporation is not liable for any damages but did urge people to use licensed electricians to carry out proper wiring in their homes stressing earthing [grounding] is critical in protecting appliances from damages. 

Faumui had also apologized regarding Sunday's outage and the inconvenience it may have caused. 

AMERICAN SAMOA

In the meantime, Tutuila, American Samoa is experiencing electrical outages as the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) Tafuna plant continues to have problems.

The latest was Monday night, where one resident in Tafuna said they heard a loud bang (explosion) and then their power went out. It came back on about 2 hours later the resident said. There has been no word from ASPA about what caused the latest  outage.

According to ASPA, three new 3.5 MW GE generator sets (GenSets) will be added to the Tafuna Power Plant (TPP) to complement the two existing GE units currently in operation.

The older containerized CAT units located outside will be decommissioned once the installation of these three new engines is complete. ASPA expects to finish the installation by the end of the year, with one of the three units nearly complete and scheduled to go online next month (March 2025).

Two of the new generators were seen this week being transported to the ASPA Tafuna Plant.