My First Day in DGEU

While I was chatting out with the staff of the Grid Substation-Balangoda ,the day I reported for work, The EE summoned me through a telephone link called carrier line and asked me to see him.

I walked up to his room , about 100m from the grid , I saw a man talked to the Engineer. The EE wanted me to sit and introduced the person as a linesmen. Then I was advised to go with the fellow and rectify the fault at a place called Maratenna Estate which bordered the Norton area and Balangoda area after thick jungle.

My problem

Although I went with workmen and tools I did not know what happened at the location and I did not have any idea about anything practical aspect of Electricity. How eatates or other places provide with power. What are the items in a power line etc.

My linesmen who whowed me the LT breaker , DDLO switch and power line but it was dark to note any thing. We climbed a hill to reach a pole where DDLO installed. He removed it and explained me how it functions since I was new to Job. The factory complained that they did not have power since evening and I was clueless about the power source. The linesmen under the impression that the power came from Norton and Connection from Balangoda in OFF position.

We spent their for 3 hours and waited nothing happening

We returned around mid night without any success and no body to report since there was no communications.

The following morning I explained everything to the EE and he said power came from Norton after mid night and we have to open the Norton end and close Balangoda end.

So off and close what..

It all ABS-Air Break Switch located on the power line and I saw the particular power line the same day at Balangoda. The tower line carrying 33kV to town and then end up at Maratenna.

I was posted as an Electrical Foreman GrIII in 1969 June by the GM-DGEU, the ex authority for power industry in Ceylon(those days). When I reported to then EE Balangoda, his immediate advise looked the government officers were such good characters.

He said "
You are a young man and immediately after JTO ,appointed to EF III, without any experience, in the electrical Industry. You can be a rich man in short time ,if you follow the methyods that most people will advocate, but you can serve long time in the organisation if you learn things and be honest. Do not listen to advises by various people but if you have any problem just discuss with me before putting to practice so that I can guide you."

So I chose the honest part as I carried such principles from my childhood.

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Electricity

LOAD SHEDDING or POWER CUT

We now experience what is called "Load Shedding" which is an alternative word for Power Cut. This word is used by the technical personnel who are in the Power Field.

Yesterday and even today(14-05-2009),we experienced the load shedding for 40minutes in a rotation.The authorities are trying to cover 20MW of power during the night peak. This can be covered if the public are informed to reduce the use of num,ber of bulbs and other equipments by 30% so that the public will respond by 20% . This is a saving and a big saving for the utility.

I did not see any positive action by the CEB/LECO to convince the public in achieving the targets.

When I used public address system requesting the public to manage with one or two bulbs during peak hours they honoured that and I could cancel the load schedding. I even used LECO areas too where my feeders feed them.





Some Success

Thanks for no power failures during heavy showers with thundering this morning. It is necessary to analyse why failure of large scale occur after a prolonged drought.

Managing Areas My First 2 Months
The then engineer was following rules and regulations according to the procedures and the result was that the customers made complainments to the management. It was the time that I was planning to come to colombo and I was given the task of EE Homagama.

Let me explain how I managed area in Homagama when I took over in 1983 August.
It was during the 1983 riots between sinhala/Tamil people which spread islandwide.

My AGM was Mr.LW de Silva, who briefed me why I was entrusted this area and summarised the back log of Service applications, where payments made pending connections and where estimates to process.
Total stood up as over 600 cases in the two depots.

The practice of the then engineer was that only 4 services are connected by a gang and two days per week were allowed. The staff managed to complete 48 connections and the back log was rising.
I too was instructed by my predessor to not to violate from the laid down rules. But when I took over within a week ,I summoned a meeting with two ESS in charge of two depots and noted their difficulties.

These are the actions taken by me.

• allowed a gang of workmen to carryout new connections 7 days a week which included break down gangs.
• Suspended all line inspections for a month
• marked time for new jobs even during holidays as opposed to an ES and fully utilised gangs for clearing pending jobs
• Re started line inspection work and allowed even breakdown gangs to carry out new connections and thus a depot could complete minimum of 80 connections/month

My next task within 2 weeks

I went through the list of bulk consumers and noted all private and heavy consumers first and then all the other bulk connections. Then I started checking wiring of installations ,personally, and locked where ever no locking facilities were in order.

There was no wrong connections and my own system of monitoring bulk readings started without any fear.

Retail Consumers
(Continued)

P.S.-if anybody who cannot view my sites, please mail me on pwamar@sltnet.lk or talk to me on 0777-256256

Total Failures

Every sinhala new year day or after celebrations , we experienced , total failures blackening the country. However, this year is quiet different as there was no failures except the routine failures which I explained some time back.I think the system demand ,during the new year season, did not come down considerably for system controllers to take precautions.

We have to thank the CEB for maintaining power during the festive season without any black out. Since the CEB is in a position not to use more hydro ,due to reservior capacities gone down, the use of power must be kept to a minimum now.

we experienced power failures in the suburbs ,after a gale and lightning , it is unfortunate that the Ceylon Electricity Board cannot prevent these failures.

This is the rainy season and when we passed a prolonged drought , we have to accept the climate change and we must be prepared for it in advance. The HT lines be cleared for wayleaves and earth must be tested , take appropriate actions,at key points for easy flow of large currents developed as a result of lightning.

Bakmaha is famous for lightning and thundering and when bad period reaches ,the network improvements not carried out , the result is the blackening of the country. Every where failures due to fallen trees, lightning strikes.

Pannipitiya grid tripped several times when the rain started and only when at night the authorities managed to restore power. Who is responsible for?

How do you Live without Electricity

Since we are now used to use of electricity for all your day to day activities, no one has thought of living without electricity from the National Grid. The national grid will provide Electricity at a correct voltage,frequency and sufficient power to maintain an Industry/residences/etc. But there are instances when stipulated voltage is not provided due to power failures, distance from the power transformer to a resident/industry and other technical factors. The voltages in rural areas are generally very low. This where people tend to use other sources of energy as an alternative.

They are.

• Solar source
• mini hydro schemes
• bio mass methods
• Battery charged system where DC lights are wired intermittantly.
• stand by power from one or two lanterns
• High Powered torches
• use of candles
• Locally made standby power sources where thyrestor controlled charges are connected live to the house mains.

out of above large consumers use candles/ kerosene lamps as an alternative to darkness caused by power failures.
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