The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) claims that most occasions when it rains it cuts off electricity supply to save life, properties and safeguard its machinery.
The explanation was given by Oyebode Fadipe, General Manager of AEDC, Corporate Communications, while talking with reporters in Abuja on Sunday.
Mr Fadipe responded to consumers’ complaints that electricity supplies were cut off for days whenever it rained.
“The issue of electricity supply going off, especially when it rains could be viewed from two perspectives, which could be electricity lines and poles being pulled down by the rains or some other major interruption.
“To avoid any form of destruction to lives and properties, the system is programmed to go off when it is about to rain.
“Customers would have also observed that after rain, attempt is made to restore the supply which is called “flashing’’
“If we try to restore supply and it is not stable, it means that maybe a pole or two is broken and the conductor is lying on the ground,” he said.
According to him, the duty of AEDC is to search for the problem and try to restore supply as the speed of repair is completely different from the speed of destruction.
He said it would take a bit of time to bring back the poles, string the lines and other things needed to restore power if the network is impaired for one reason or the other.
Speaking on the subject of underground cable laying as was done in other nations, Mr Fadipe said they were not aliened to the subject.
He said the network was underground in Abuja and AEDC had to purchase a specialized car to track any fault on the wires.
“We have a specilised vehicle which when you connect a motorised equipment to even if the fault is at Sheraton Hotel, it will give us the location.
“We have invested in equipment, unlike the old practice before privatisation when there is a fault, we will have to dig from one point to the other and you destroy the roads.
“And also, most of our network is overhead so that you don’t have to destroy the roads and you don’t have to spike the cables,” he said.
However, he promised customers that AEDC is working hard to ensure efficient electricity supply in the land.
