Egat Denies It Was Behind Blackouts

Egat denies it was behind blackouts

The Nation on Sunday

KOH SAMUI: The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) insists that it did not cause blackouts on Samui and Pha-ngan islands.

An electrician at Egat's station in Nakhon Si Thammarat's Khanom district said the station cut the power temporarily for maintenance on December 4 but after doing this it released electricity through a cable. Three minutes later, a problem occurred with the cable, which caused the blackouts.

Once power was released past Egat's system, it was the Provincial Electricity Authority's responsibility.

Power returned to the islands on Friday after a three-day blackout.

Meanwhile, more than 30 mobile generators are "on standby" in case residents and tourists have another power crisis during the holidays.

After using 35 mobile generators to produce electricity during the blackout period, the PEA said it was not sure if the islands will black out again as there will be high power usage during the festive season.

About 80-90 per cent of hotel rooms have been reserved via the Internet, mostly by tourists from the UK, Germany, Russia and China despite the three-day blackout, said Panu Woramit, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Surat Thani Office.

There are 490 hotels outlets with 19,500 rooms on Samui Island and 300 sites providing 7,000 rooms on Pha-ngan Island.

-- The Nation 2012-12-09