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BRADES, Montserrat – The increase in ash falling in inhabited areas is to be blamed for the recent power outages, says Peter White, Managing Director of Montserrat Utilities Ltd.
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| Soufriere Hills Volcano |
In the past week, residents have been frustrated by the unscheduled interruptions in the power supply, but this cannot be helped said Mr White as the company cannot predict where the faults will happen.
“When you have the ash falling on the power lines followed by the rain, the weight of it shorts out the lines and trips the feeders. It is similar to a fuse blowing,” explained the official. “The problem is also compounded when there are pyroclastic flows (from the Soufriere Hills volcano), which often causes lightning and this also affects the electrical supply system.”
MUL has also been dealing with issues with their generators, one of which is down for scheduled maintenance.
“We have no way of knowing specifically where the problems will arise and to find the actual fault as ash is all over the place,” he added.
Montserrat Utilities Ltd. is the national company, which provides water and electrical service on the island. Since early October there has been an increase in activity at the Soufriere Hills volcano in the southern half of the island. In recent weeks, shifting winds have brought ash from the ash venting into the safe zone. |
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