Power Supply Resumes Normal Service On Samui, Pha-Ngan Islands: P E A

[webfact]

Power supply resumes normal service on Samui, Pha-ngan islands: PEA

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Dec 7 -- The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has repaired its underground power cable and the electricity supply has resumed normal service on Samui and Pha-ngan islands since early Friday morning.

Chanchai Banditsaowapak, an assistant to the PEA governor, said the agency completed repair work on the power cable and resumed supplying power at 3.22am. Electricity was fully restored at 4.25am.

Samui and Pha-ngan islands, popular as foreign tourist attractions, have been without electricity since a high-voltage underground cable ruptured Tuesday morning.

Mr Chanchai said that the PEA staff took time to find out the location where the cable was damaged and the fixing was complicated as it was a big cable line.

He said that more time was needed to investigate how the cable burned but it was possibly due to overload as the tourism industry at Samui and Pha-ngan island has grown rapidly and the electricity demand was higher than previously.

Surat Thani governor Chatpong Chatputi declared Samui and Pha-ngan islands disaster zones to activate a Bt50 million emergency budget reimbursement to help relieve those affected by the blackout.

The Samui Tourism Association said the blackout severely impacted the two popular resort islands, and a large number of Thai and foreign tourists abruptly cancelled their holidays and left the island. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-12-07

[Tywais]

Wonder if there will be a population explosion around 9 months from now?

[rawfront]

50mt Baht emergecny budget. With which criteria is that budget going to be distributed? How and who will claim for it? Just curious...

[Gulfsailor]

"The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has repaired its underground power cable and the electricity supply has resumed normal service"

power is now off again in Ban Rak, but to be honest that is normal.

[carmine]

So infact the problem that we are currently having is not sorted which is no surprise at all.

Thought it was too good to be true. Its rather warm today without a fan! Hey ho....

[webfact]

SAMUI

Power restored on Thai resort islands after three-day blackout

The Nation

KOH SAMUI: -- Power returned to the Thai resort islands of Samuiand Phangan early Friday after a three-day blackout prompted thousands of peak-season tourists to leave.

The electricity outage, caused by a rupture in a submarine cable connecting the islands to the southern Thai province of Surat Thani, disrupted businesses throughout the islands.

Most of the islands’ small hotels and bungalows closed while some big hotels managed to stay open using private generators and candles.The island’s airport, however, remained open, allowing tourist exits.

Surat Thani Governor Chatpong Chatphut on Thursday had declared the islands a disaster zone. Businesses sustained losses estimated at Bt10 billion (US$322 million), Samui Tourism Association chairman Thanasak Somwong said.

Sixteen large mobile generators had been moved to Samui as an emergency measure, Thanasak said while expressing concerns about meeting the island’s long-term power needs.

Tourist arrivals on Samui and Phangan have been increasing about20 per cent per year and last year hit a record of more than 800,000,tourism officials said.

-- The Nation 2012-12-07

[longtom]

He said that more time was needed to investigate how the cable burned but it was possibly due to overload as the tourism industry at Samui and Pha-ngan island has grown rapidly and the electricity demand was higher than previously.

Sounds like thorough planning of future demand based on detailed information.

[medicinebox]

Ok, they say it was a ruptured cable. I was staying in Chaweng on Sunday 2nd and they slipped a memo under my door saying the power would be off from 8am until 11am on Monday 3rd for improvements. Are they saying it was an unforseen event? Could they have been working on it and dropped a spanner in the works literally and caused the damage themselves? I bet someones arse got well kicked can you imagine "Pass the monkey wrench Bert..........oh xxxxxxx!!"

Ayway at least its back on, Im back there on Sunday morning.

MB

Edited December 7, 2012 by Rooo

[thaifamilyguy]

We happened to be off Island when it happened and have been staying that way but now planning on coming back tomorrow, sounds like they may have sort of fixed the problem, whatever that problem was exactly they not know, but gee electricity is working again. Ah Island Life.

If people really in the dark again all day today would appreciate a head's up!

[khunPer]

»...the tourism industry at Samui and Pha-ngan island has grown rapidly and the electricity demand was higher than previously.«

»Tourist arrivals on Samui and Phangan have been increasing about 20 per cent per year and last year hit a record of more than 800,000, tourism officials said.«

Just wonder, how the planning fits with the need for more tourists to come and the demands for a second airport?

[crazykopite]

We have power cuts every single week without fail it is part of living on an island but what gets me is that these happen when the weather is really nice not when the winds and rain are blasting us This latest episode was the icing on the cake with no power for more than 3 days who will pay for our products that had to be thrown out when our freezers could not work I even heard the emergancy lights that you can buy in Home Pro went up over 100% once it was realised there was a big electricity problem Time for those in charge of Samui and Phangan to wake up and ensure that this latest FK up does not happen again millions of baht must have been lost as well as tourists who I doubt will ever return !!!!!!!!!

[monkeycountry]

Time for those in charge of Samui and Phangan to wake up and ensure that this latest FK up does not happen again millions of baht must have been lost as well as tourists who I doubt will ever return !!!!!!!!!

Sound like you are talking about maintenance and forward planning. I am not sure either of those are in the Thai vocabulary (I have really never heard of those words in thai, but could of course be wrong). They do have a word for repair in their vocabulary though :-)

[oldsailor35]

Apparently, the cable blew out at Taling Nam, due to overload. It was several meters away from the water, so that cancels all those posts about the underwater cable getting damaged !

[samuijimmy]

Apparently, the cable blew out at Taling Nam, due to overload. It was several meters away from the water, so that cancels all those posts about the underwater cable getting damaged !

So many versions of where going around, but not heard that one!

Any one want to check that? in Thaling Gnam ( actually south of) , .... Head through the Temple Gate, near the Snake farm... (Mini Mart there) .... turn left about 1/2 km down (before the school) head to end of road which is part concrete part gravel !!!

If there are trucks and workers and not just fishermen, we maybe we are onto something!!!

Most reports seem to be the other side of the pond!!!

The other thing I heard today, is that a new cable is scheduled to be put in, in 2016.... don't hold your breathe !!!

[Tropicalevo]

Ok, they say it was a ruptured cable. I was staying in Chaweng on Sunday 2nd and they slipped a memo under my door saying the power would be off from 8am until 11am on Monday 3rd for improvements. Are they saying it was an unforseen event? Could they have been working on it and dropped a spanner in the works literally and caused the damage themselves? I bet someones arse got well kicked can you imagine "Pass the monkey wrench Bert..........oh xxxxxxx!!"

Ayway at least its back on, Im back there on Sunday morning.

MB

You are correct. It seems that there was planned maintenance. It was during or after the maintenance that things went titzup. Mind you someone posted on TV that the maintenance was to be on the 4th?)

Edited December 8, 2012 by Tropicalevo

[notime]

"The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has repaired its underground power cable and the electricity supply has resumed normal service"

power is now off again in Ban Rak, but to be honest that is normal.

Yes, "the power is back to normal" meaning constant 2-3 second outages called "shorties", few 1-2 hour outages every month and occasional "1-day-er". Yesterday I had two "shorties" around 7pm, today I already had a "shortie" early morning and a rear "20-minut-er" around 8:30 am. I'm in Chaweng.

[BlackWolf]

"The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has repaired its underground power cable and the electricity supply has resumed normal service"

power is now off again in Ban Rak, but to be honest that is normal.

Yes, "the power is back to normal" meaning constant 2-3 second outages called "shorties", few 1-2 hour outages every month and occasional "1-day-er". Yesterday I had two "shorties" around 7pm, today I already had a "shortie" early morning and a rear "20-minut-er" around 8:30 am. I'm in Chaweng.

Thai TV chanal 3 told this morning that this will happen due to repairing and changing elektric lines on the island.