November 4, 2018 - Last year, at the level of 35 kV (kilovolt), 1,637 unplanned interruptions in power supply were recorded, and the largest number of electricity shortages were caused by bad weather conditions. On the other hand, 425 planned interruptions at the 35 kV level were announced and realized, said the Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System (CEDIS).
The company explained that CEDIS consists of over 4,800 substations and 19,000 km of kilometers of various power supply lines, which distribute electricity to 390,000 users. The characteristics of the network are largely conditioned by the configuration of the ground that is rather unfavorable, especially in the rural area in the north of the country. Dispersion of the network, the large length of the lines, and the inaccessible terrain are just some of the consequences of the configuration of the terrain, due to which the maintenance of the network and facilities is complex and costly, as explained by CEDIS. The specificity of the network in Montenegro, based on the explanation from CEDIS, is also dictated by the illegal construction in certain areas, which results in power supply exceeding the permitted levels for which the network and facilities have been designed.
"Despite the aforementioned, with the regular maintenance and multimillion-dollar investments realized by CEDIS, the number of unplanned interruptions is declining year after year. Since the beginning of the year, over two million and 200 thousand euros have been invested in maintenance, and multi-million investment projects have been completed and launched," they explained.
They added that the Regulator approved a three-year plan for the revitalization of the medium and low-voltage network, worth around 32 million euros.
Despite the aforementioned investment activities, there are circumstances that cannot be influenced, and they are related to weather disruptions, which is the dominant cause of interruptions in power supply, explained CEDIS. The Rules on the Minimum Quality of Supply and Supply of Electricity, which has been applied since August 2017, have established two indicators. SAIDI has been established indicating the average duration of delivery interruption in minutes at the electricity metering point and SAIFI, which represents the average frequency of delivery interruption at the electric power location at annual level. These two indicators are calculated on an annual basis, and, according to the company, public data will be available in January 2019 for the year 2018.
Text by Dan, on November 4th, 2018, read more at CdM
