BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – Wide areas in Northeastern Mindanao will be experiencing an 11-hour power interruption next week due to the annual preventive maintenance in its major power lines in the region, it was announced Sunday.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) through the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in the Caraga Region announced that the power shutdown will take place at the Anislagan-Madrid and Anislagan-Surigao sub-transmission facilities on June 4.

The NGCP said the affected clients will be those under the Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative, Siargao Electric Cooperative, Surigaso del Sur Electric Cooperative III, and Pacific Cement Company.

The power interruption will start from 6 a.m. up to 5 p.m. on the said date, the press statement said.

The NGCP announcement added that the annual preventive maintenance schedule will take place at the Placer Substation Transformers No. 1 and 2, and its associated high-voltage equipment.

It will also facilitate the rehabilitation works of 20 critical dilapidated structures along the Anislagan-Madrid 69-kilovolt sub-transmission lines, the NGCP announcement further added.

“Big mining and agricultural companies and other industrial firms in these areas will be affected by this power shutdown next week, and had advised all affected electric cooperative clients to look for some strategic measures for their continued operations,” PIA Region 13 Director Abner M. Caga also announced.

Meanwhile, the NGCP also announced that the Automated Meter Data Retrieval (AMR) System is already in place to satisfy the requirement of the WESM for the daily delivery of load profile-type meter data from all metering facilities.

In another development, the PIA’s role in government information and dissemination has been strengthened as it has been tasked as regional coordinator of the Presidential Communications Operation Office (PCOO), and serves as link for disseminating news and advocacies of other government agencies.

Under a Special Order released on May 23, PCOO Secretary Sonny Coloma designated PIA regional directors and officers-in-charge (OICs) as PCOO regional coordinators/representatives.