Hundreds of customers in several Princes Town communities were left without electricity for hours between Friday and yesterday after vandals cut high-voltage power cables on Friday night, plunging entire neighbourhoods into darkness.
The outage was caused after vandals cut cables connected to a 12,000-volt circuit breaker at the junction of Seebalack Avenue and Pagee Trace.
The vandalism also resulted in four high-voltage (HV) cables, which supply approximately 30 pad-mounted transformers installed in the Housing Development Corporation’s (HDC) Fairfield development, Princes Town, being severed.
The outage affected residents across the HDC’s Fairfield Housing Development and surrounding areas such as Craignish, Indian Walk, Buen Intento, Mathilda and New Grant.
The Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) said in a release yesterday that approximately 450 customers were affected.
After working through Friday night and yesterday, T&TEC crews repaired the damaged cables at the distribution hub, restoring electricity to affected residents after several hours.
Power was restored to certain areas after four hours, and Phase Two of the Fairfield housing development around 11.05 a.m., followed by Phase One around 12.30 p.m.
Member of Parliament for Princes Town Dr Aiyna Ali urged members of the public to come forward with information about acts of vandalism, warning that damage to public infrastructure has far-reaching consequences for residents.
She said vandalism of public utilities disrupts essential services and impacts entire communities, and appealed for anyone with information on those responsible to contact Crime Stoppers at 474-TIPS (8477).
“Together, we can help protect our communities and the services we all depend on,” she said, noting that tips can be provided anonymously.
T&TEC strongly cautioned the public that tampering or interfering with its infrastructure can cause physical harm, including serious injury or electrocution.
“For your safety, please stay away from overhead lines, substations and related equipment. Persons with information regarding acts of vandalism are urged to call 474-8467 and share that information anonymously,” T&TEC advised.
Local government councillor Latchmi Narine told the Sunday Express the act of vandalism caused a “total blackout” for several hours for residents across various communities in Princes Town.
“Acts of vandalism are happening throughout the country and it’s a very serious situation. These (vandals) are very lucky because they are taking off live current, live wires, and removing these cables. They are probably trained or they probably have some knowledge of the power supplies. It’s really a sad situation in the country when things like this are happening,” said Narine.
He said he hoped to install security cameras in the communities to deter further attacks.
Distressed residents
Resident Kelly Williams said he was watching World Cup football when the outage occurred.
“The place just get dark on me just so. I heard a big noise, like a transformer blew. The place was dark whole night, and we heard somebody was trying to thief copper or some kind of thing. I am sure it was not anybody from inside here. They come and distressing us,” said Williams.
He said he was worried about the survival of his aquarium fish.
“Those fish are for my peace of mind, so losing them would have bothered me,” said Williams.
Another resident, Anton Layne, said the authorities should crack down heavily on acts of vandalism.
“The authorities need to put strict laws and measures in place against vandalism. When they (authorities) pick up with them, put them inside and throw away the keys,” said Layne.
Previous attack
On June 10, a man sustained severe burns after experiencing an electric shock during an attempted act of vandalism at the T&TEC Brechin Castle substation.
The contact he made with the 132 kilovolt (kV) breaker also caused a voltage dip at 9.45 a.m. across parts of the country.
In a release then, T&TEC said that security footage showed an intruder falling to the ground, apparently stunned, after an electric shock. “He subsequently got to his feet and escaped without his tools. He was apprehended shortly thereafter and was taken for medical treatment for severe burns,” the release said.
The incident was described as an intrusion and attempted vandalism at the Brechin Castle 220/132/66 kV substation, where the perpetrator came into contact with a 132 kV breaker.
“The contact caused a fault, resulting in a significant voltage dip. Widespread outages were prevented because the system’s protective mechanism operated as intended and minimised the impact,” the release added.
T&TEC said following the incident, the national electricity grid remains stable.
The company reminded that tampering or interfering with its infrastructure can cause physical harm, including electrocution and serious injury, and advised members of the public to stay away from overhead lines, substations and related equipment.
