- The emergency managers of the municipalities belonging to the company’s concession area attended the meeting in order to learn about the joint communications and collaboration protocols, with the purpose of operating in coordination during contingencies.
Santiago, April 18, 2019 – With the aim of disseminating and informing about the preventive measures corresponding to the 2019 Winter Plan, in order to operate in a coordinated manner, in the face of possible weather events, Enel Distribución held a working session with the emergency managers of the 33 municipalities belonging to its concession area, who learnt about the actions undertaken by the company, both from a technical standpoint as well as the customer service channels under contingency situations.
The activity carried out in the Enel Chile corporate building was attended by Luis Ávila, Electricity and Fuels superintendent; Enrique Beltrán, acting metropolitan superintendent; Gabriel Huerta, Commander of the Santiago Fire Department and Ramón Castañeda, general manager of Enel Distribución.
“The Winter Plan was developed during the second semester of 2018 and beginning of 2019, implementing a series of measures aimed at promoting continuity and safety of the power supply and to facilitate communications between our customers and the company in case of an emergency. This is why this meeting is very important since it allows us to establish communications and collaboration protocols with the municipalities in order to face contingencies in a joint and coordinated manner”, explained Ramón Castañeda, general manager for Enel Distribución.
The Winter Plan provides:
Telecontrol
With the purpose of reducing the numbers of affected customers and limiting the reinstatement times when a service interruption takes place, the company deployed a plan in order to increase the telecontrol equipment, in a way such as to favor the automation of the power grid, allowing it to be operated remotely. This means 350 additional telecontrol equipment for this winter compared to May, 2018, through which the company’s power grid adds up to 1,800 operating equipment, allowing it to not only reduce the reinstatement times, but to reduce considerably, and in a question of minutes, a 30% to 90% reduction in the number of customers affected by faults in the medium voltage main network.
Pruning
In order to minimize power supply interruption risks, during the Maintenance Planning process the company made its Pruning Plan in 160 medium voltage feeders a priority, whose failure rates was mainly associated to the handling of vegetation. In coordination with the different municipalities, the company cleared close to 4.60 kilometers of high, medium and low voltage network lines, in order to contribute to the prevention of supply interruptions, product of falling trees or large branches over the power grid, for the winter period.
On line customer information
Currently, for each power failure or interruption, the company delivers to its customers, through the different information platforms, the Estimated Normalization Times (ENT) and has made available geo-referential maps for the programmed failures and disconnections, to maintain constant information on the areas affected and the servicing of emergencies.
Plan for aerial de inspection (helicopter)
A plan of aerial inspection was carried out, which aim was the early detection of the sensitive points in the electric power system, enabling the prevention of potential power supply interruptions. Through latest generation technology cameras, a total of 1,630 kilometers of high and medium voltage lines was inspected. In 4 weeks the helicopter carried out the work that would have taken more than 6 months to do on foot.
As a complement to the helicopter, an inspection plan was implemented over 800 kilometers of network in areas of high demographic density, consisting in a pickup truck with a laser equipment assembly for the detection of vegetation close to the network, and the use of drones transporting high resolution and thermo graphic photographic cameras. The aim is to be able to capture abnormalities in the high and medium voltage network in areas of higher urban density, by means of technology allowing for the identification of 100% of the defects that may be present in the network.
New service platforms
Besides the reinforcement of the traditional call center (an increase by eight times compared to a normal operating day) and the increase in community managers for the RRSS service, including graphic and images information communicating the cause of the failures. As well, new customer service and attention tools were enabled, such as mobile applications, text messaging, reference maps on line breaks and other digital tools, in such a way as to optimize the information flow to the customers, allowing direct communication, making available relevant information such as the estimated power supply reinstatement times.
Protocol for electricity dependent people
The company has a register of electricity dependent people, which reaches 1,220 people as of today, at the same time increasing the number of generator sets, to a total of more than 400 sets, which are to be allocated to the homes requiring them, being recovered once the service is reinstated. Additionally, during 2018, the company delivered 150 additional equipment sets to municipalities belonging to its concession area, in order for them to be of help to electricity dependent patients in their respective counties.
Providing a gymnasium as shelter
This year, once again Enel will make its corporate gymnasium available for use as shelter during days of weather contingencies with low temperatures.
Enel Distribución services 33 districts of the Metropolitan Region
Enel Distribución is the main electric power distributor in the country, with more than 1.9 million customers. Its concession area is 2,037 km2 in size, covering 33 districts located exclusively in the Metropolitan Region: Cerrillos, Cerro Navia, Conchalí, Estación Central, Independencia, La Cisterna, La Florida, La Granja, La Reina, Las Condes, Lo Espejo, Lo Prado, Macul, Maipú, Ñuñoa, Pedro Aguirre Cerda, Peñalolén, Pudahuel, Quinta Normal, Recoleta, Renca, San Joaquín, San Miguel, San Ramón, Vitacura, Santiago, Providencia, Huechuraba, Quilicura, Lo Barnechea, Colina, Lampa, and Til Til.