Samui & Phangan Still Without Power For 2Nd Day .story Continues With Updated Info & Suggestions.

[MaxYakov]

hat exactly does a cable rupture mean? How does the cable rupture?

Maybe cable disruption would have been a better description:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_submarine_cable_disruption

[MaxYakov]

hat exactly does a cable rupture mean? How does the cable rupture?

My guess is that there was some scheduled maintenance scheduled that was meant to only disrupt power for a short spell, hence gatorade hearing indirectly of pending power disruption before the fact but no major announcement from PEA. After they completed the maintenance and they turned the switch back on, the power surge blew out the submarine cable. That could have been a pre-existing condition caused by damage from anchors or fishing trawls or just plain old age. Insulation can break down and when the power was reapplied, the cable 'ruptured'. This does happen in HIVAC systems and if it's an underwater cable, it's a tougher repair job. Think of a filament light bulb that burns for hundreds of hours continuously then gets turned off. When you turn the light back on, the surge blows the tired old filament; same sort of thing just happened underwater with the HIVAC submarine cable.

I would go further to suggest that the scheduled maintenance was because they were seeing strange power fluctuations and current surges on the system so they turned off the power, checked all their measuring devices were working and turned the power back on, not expecting the cable to be the source of the power and current surge problems.

Just my guess from too many hours in desert-based trailer camps with great big generators and old cables baked in the sun or driven over by trucks causing insulation breakdown..

The Ten top causes of submarine power cable disruption:

10) Current surge during unannounced maintenance causes conductors to act like tired old filaments

9) Cable manufactured by same company that produced my several failed power strips

8) Cable contract was by lowest bid

7) Cable was installed by the same ship used for the transatlantic telegraph cable in 1858

6) An all-too-clever person figured how to scab power from a submarine cable, but forgot something

5) Someone thought a 20 cm copper bar was a pretty good replacement for a 10K Amp fuse

4) Someone decided that there were just too many tourists on the island

3) Environmentalists saw the cable as a critical source of ocean warming (to protect the coral)

2) The solar power people wanted to possibly increase their market share on the island

1) Inductive-power-scabbing, extra-terrestrial UFOs underestimated their parasitic load

Sorry, I don't have source links for the above ... except for #10, of course.

[sergeisokolov]

South from Lamai: Hua Thanon, electricity went on at midnight Dec 5th to 6th. On for almost two hours so far (1:48am now). We'll see if its just 2 hrs.

[techboy]

Tourists were rushing to leave the islands.

It´s just cosy and romantic with all the candles , burning garbage and stuff!

Welcome to the real Thailand!

A safe bet is that the likes of you would not know the real Thailand from Anvers Island.

[techboy]

hat exactly does a cable rupture mean? How does the cable rupture?

My guess is that there was some scheduled maintenance scheduled that was meant to only disrupt power for a short spell, hence gatorade hearing indirectly of pending power disruption before the fact but no major announcement from PEA. After they completed the maintenance and they turned the switch back on, the power surge blew out the submarine cable. That could have been a pre-existing condition caused by damage from anchors or fishing trawls or just plain old age. Insulation can break down and when the power was reapplied, the cable 'ruptured'. This does happen in HIVAC systems and if it's an underwater cable, it's a tougher repair job. Think of a filament light bulb that burns for hundreds of hours continuously then gets turned off. When you turn the light back on, the surge blows the tired old filament; same sort of thing just happened underwater with the HIVAC submarine cable.

I would go further to suggest that the scheduled maintenance was because they were seeing strange power fluctuations and current surges on the system so they turned off the power, checked all their measuring devices were working and turned the power back on, not expecting the cable to be the source of the power and current surge problems.

Just my guess from too many hours in desert-based trailer camps with great big generators and old cables baked in the sun or driven over by trucks causing insulation breakdown..

The Ten top causes of submarine power cable disruption:

10) Current surge during unannounced maintenance causes conductors to act like tired old filaments

9) Cable manufactured by same company that produced my several failed power strips

8) Cable contract was by lowest bid

7) Cable was installed by the same ship used for the transatlantic telegraph cable in 1858

6) An all-too-clever person figured how to scab power from a submarine cable, but forgot something

5) Someone thought a 20 cm copper bar was a pretty good replacement for a 10K Amp fuse

4) Someone decided that there were just too many tourists on the island

3) Environmentalists saw the cable as a critical source of ocean warming (to protect the coral)

2) The solar power people wanted to possibly increase their market share on the island

1) Inductive-power-scabbing, extra-terrestrial UFOs underestimated their parasitic load

Sorry, I don't have source links for the above ... except for #10, of course.

Interesting. Thanks.

[Tony121]

getting our 2 hours electric in bophut now

[Notstupid30]

Pha-ngan, Samui still blacked out

THE NATION

Surat Thani

SURAT THANI: -- Some foreign tourists cut short their holidays and left Koh Samui and Koh Pha-ngan after blackouts on both islands since Tuesday caused by a short circuit of an underground cable from Nakhon Si Thammarat, a source said yesterday.

Hotel and resort operators flocked to petrol stations to buy fuel for their electricity generators, but many stations could not help them because they themselves were without power to run their pumps.

At press time, more than 3,000 foreign tourists were waiting to leave Koh Samui via flights on Bangkok Airways - the only airline providing service to the island - causing unprecedented heavy congestion at Samui Airport. The tourists said they had lost confidence in officials' ability to restore power after the island had been deprived of electricity for more than 24 hours, according to the source.

Thaweesak Somwong, president of the Samui Tourism Promotion Association, played down the reports of cancellations, saying tourism to the island was not heavily affected because hotel and tour operators had reserve power generators to deal with such unexpected events.

He said travel cancellations were at the normal rate.

Hospitals on Samui have reserve power, while electricity was being distributed alternately to commercial zones for three hours each.

Surat Thani Governor Chatpong Chatputi said the blackout occurred when a main underground power cable short-circuited. Officials were waiting for hydraulic pliers to be delivered from Nakhon Si Tham-marat and repair work was expected to be complete last nightWednesday night, assuming |no other obstacles arose during maintenance.

Many petrol stations on Samui were sold out as resorts and hotels hoarded the available fuel to power their generators for fear of a prolonged blackout. Fuel traders from Surat Thani normally deliver petrol three times a day, but since the blackout they have doubled the deliveries.

Charnchai Banditsaowapak, deputy director of the Provincial Electricity Authority, said the agency would fix the problem as soon as possible. Samui has one main power cable that distributes 33,000 volts of electricity for the island's consumption.

Specialists said the 24-kilometre-long cable from the Khanom Power Plant in Nakhon Si Thammarat had no connection points en route. They speculated the short circuit might have been caused by underground moisture, or possibly air contact with the cable.

-- The Nation 2012-12-06

[ClaudeFeller]

Might be helpful:

I still have a couple of small solar panels to charge 12v batteries

Samui Service opposite Makro

[retell]

The time of centralized power generation is OVER!

I'm working for a renewable energy company selling, building and/or operating environmental friendly and carbon neutral Gasification power Plants. Yes, these plants are rather small, only a few Megawatt at the time are economical. But the idea is to have a lot of spread over all Thailand. With this, nobody would need the big coal/gas/oil fired plants anymore which damage our environment and health. Oh, and by the way, no more stupid power cuts anymore...

What, exactly, is being 'gasified'? Can they run on 'gasified' rice or something else common (inexpensive) in Thailand?

yes they can

with a normal four stroke as the engine with 0% harmfull exhaust

[easyas]

tourists leaving the island

and now we only have a thousand left ????

what a load of rubbish

ive just been down on chaweng beach today

and had dinner on the beach with hundreds of tourists

then walked along to ark bar and had another drink and there were at lease 200 hundred there alone

200 hundred is 20 thousand - pretty big bar!

[draftvader]

With 2 out of 5 planned nuclear power plants being in the south of Thailand (Sichon, Nakhorn Sri Thammarat and Tha Chana district in Surat Thani), this power outage might win over some people who were unsure whether to approve of those plants. "remember those serious power outages, we need sufficient power for tourism".

On the other hand, it should concern people. If a problem like this can not be dealt with faster, what would happen in the event of difficulties with a nuclear plant ...

Goodgirl, this is a very bad Idea, where to put the nuke waste?

Thailand has adequate nuclear disposal facilities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samut_Prakan_radiation_accident

[Boater]

Lots of posts on FB stating day 3 of no power with most saying no running water ...

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[samuibruno]

i heard there was a totally off the grid solar powered house on samui

and cost only 1 million extra on the new build price

anybody know where it is so we can go and take a shower ?

if its true this guy just made a lot of friends

[samuibruno]

have a friend who has a coffee shop that sells also icecrems [walls company i think]

she said already that the company have been around to her shop and will replace all lost stock due to the electric shortage

good on you walls company

[easyas]

With 2 out of 5 planned nuclear power plants being in the south of Thailand (Sichon, Nakhorn Sri Thammarat and Tha Chana district in Surat Thani), this power outage might win over some people who were unsure whether to approve of those plants. "remember those serious power outages, we need sufficient power for tourism".

On the other hand, it should concern people. If a problem like this can not be dealt with faster, what would happen in the event of difficulties with a nuclear plant ...

Goodgirl, this is a very bad Idea, where to put the nuke waste?

Thailand has adequate nuclear disposal facilities. http://en.wikipedia....iation_accident

You have to be joking? 10 people hospitalised, 3 of whom died, as a result of a nuclear waste rediation accident!

[Chua]

So that people ok the island can plan their electric usage: Everyone on Samui: please post your location and most recent time of rationed power.

[Chua]

So that people on the island can plan their electric usage, we hope the PEA is sticking to a schedule for power rationing, but the two hour slot times seem to be random.

[limbos]

Wonder of the electricity company will offer an incentive like a discount for the inconvenience suffered, let alone, lost business during the power cuts.

Let me have a wild guess on the answer....................

[jacko45k]

Sounds like the business owners are trying to push a case for 'compensation' due to lost revenue from all the departed.

Actually, business is down because there's a lack of ice for chilling the beer.

How about compensation for those departed too. Had I paid up front for 2 weeks in a high-end hotel being without AC and ice in my drinks would soon wear thin. Candle-lit, romantic meals on the beach may not compensate enough.

Poor planning.

[OKF]

well it seems that the friend of the friend says to more true then all well informed... anyway...when can we expect electric back? Can someone please post a weblink english or thai where official updates are posted

[animatic]

The cable heated up, breached it's insulation, and allowed water to enter the core, and that caused steam expansion and greater rupture.

A friend says he saw part of the fried cable and he said it looked really nasty, like it had been melting sand around it from super hight heat. Just imagine this cable can power several hundred welding machines, and suddenly becomes one itself, to the earth around it.

[ClaudeFeller]

Would be helpful to know if the damage occured on Samui, on the main land or into the sea

[IMA_FARANG]

Does anyone know what the cause of this was? has it been revealed or is it just not mentioned yet?

Underwater power cables that supply high voltage to such islands as Koh Samui are normally armored cables with a supposedly armored hard shell designed to make it very difficult to break,

What usually occurs is something like a fishing boat or such dragging an anchor or trawling bottom-fishing gear that snags the cable and breaks it.

Anything that pierces through that armored shell and allows sea water into the core of the cable will cause a short circuit failure of the power cable .... heating the cable and causing melting of the core power conductor,

There SHOULD be protectors on the supply end (i.e. at the power plant) that would automatically trip and disconnect the cable from the power system on any overload indication.

Once, back when I was in the army many years ago a fishing boat dragging it's anchor just offshore near the Philippines took out our combined power and communications cable at a location about 500 meters offshore,

Took about two weeks to get a specialized vessel to find, lift, and repair the cable as I recall.

[SamuiRes]

Plai Laem through Bangrak - 20 minutes last night then nothing until 0800 this morning. See how long that lasts. Whatever the technical problems the PR from the PEA and Municipality is a disgrace. Even the post copied from MCOT was wrong. Diesel in short supply and the election vehicles still churning round the island wasting it. When we had the power outage 5 years ago they were much better organised and you knew the time of the cuts and they applied them to the minute. Not today. Headless chickens running around looking for someone else to blame.

[Tropicalevo]

Plai Laem through Bangrak - 20 minutes last night then nothing until 0800 this morning. See how long that lasts. Whatever the technical problems the PR from the PEA and Municipality is a disgrace. Even the post copied from MCOT was wrong. Diesel in short supply and the election vehicles still churning round the island wasting it. When we had the power outage 5 years ago they were much better organised and you knew the time of the cuts and they applied them to the minute. Not today. Headless chickens running around looking for someone else to blame.

+1 on that one Samui Res

Especially the bit about the election vans. I tried to buy diesel for my truck yesterday - no way Jose! Still conveys of election trucks slowing me down on the way home though. Unbelievable.

[Rooo]

Plai Laem through Bangrak - 20 minutes last night then nothing until 0800 this morning. See how long that lasts. Whatever the technical problems the PR from the PEA and Municipality is a disgrace. Even the post copied from MCOT was wrong. Diesel in short supply and the election vehicles still churning round the island wasting it. When we had the power outage 5 years ago they were much better organised and you knew the time of the cuts and they applied them to the minute. Not today. Headless chickens running around looking for someone else to blame.

+1 on that one Samui Res

Especially the bit about the election vans. I tried to buy diesel for my truck yesterday - no way Jose! Still conveys of election trucks slowing me down on the way home though. Unbelievable.

Bophut PTT should have diesel this evening.

That's what a friend of a friend of a friend of the guy pumping gas told me.

No, spoke to them this morning.

[cupcake]

Bangrak came on at 8am

[OKF]

my villa guys just check with PEA and they said solving prob will take until march and they want to proceed with electric on for 2 hours every 2 hours when that starts I do not know

[khunPer]

I remember reading a year ago or so in one of the local printed papers - Express or Gazette - that Samui have two major power lines plus the original old small one. But, the second major power line is not - or has neever been - working, due to some fault in the installation and it has been left due to a warranty complain with the supplier.

Just wonder, if it may be worth reparing the second - back-up - cable without warranty claim, as it may be more costly to loose the tourist income?

Edit: typo

Edited December 6, 2012 by khunPer

[khunPer]

ThaiVisa FaceBook says now:

Provincial Electricity Authority fixing cable rupture which caused power cut at Samui, Pha-ngan; power expected to be restored by noon /MCOT

Seems like the twoh our power window is some 12 hour between each run, ie. 6am-8am, next 8pm-10pm, 10am-12am.

Edited December 6, 2012 by PoorSucker
format error fixed