As of 9 a.m. Friday, six transmission lines in Northern Luzon are unavailable due to the effects of Typhoon Emong (international name Co-May), according to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).
The Labrador-Bolinao 69-kilovolt (kV) line became unavailable around 12:20 a.m., impacting customers of the Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative (CENPELCO) and Pangasinan 1 Electric Cooperative (PANELCO 1). The Bauang-San Fabian 69kV line went down at approximately 1:01 a.m., followed by the Bauang-Naguilian 69kV line at 1:52 a.m., affecting customers of the La Union Electric Cooperative (LUELCO). Additionally, the Bauang-San Fernando 115kV line encountered issues at 1:41 a.m., and the Bacnotan-Bulala 69kV line became unavailable at 2:34 a.m., also affecting LUELCO customers. A 230kV line is also reported as unavailable, though specific details were not provided.
The NGCP stated that “inspection and restoration of lines in the affected areas will be in full swing once the weather allows.” They noted that power loss may result from affected transmission facilities or local distribution utilities, and specific areas impacted by the outages will be determined by the concerned Distribution Utilities.
According to the 8 a.m. bulletin from the weather bureau, Typhoon Emong has weakened into a severe tropical storm as it moves through the Cordillera region, with its center last located in San Isidro, Abra, traveling north-northeastward at 25 kph.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3 is currently in effect over several areas, including Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and parts of La Union, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Benguet, and Cagayan. Signal No. 2 has been issued for Batanes, the rest of mainland Cagayan, and portions of Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Kalinga, and Mountain Province. Areas under Signal No. 1 include the rest of Pangasinan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, and Zambales.