This year, ERM West is completing the reconstruction of the power line that supplies the Ugarchin villages, including Mikre, Golets and Sopot.
Within the 2-year project, large-scale improvements have been implemented - over 24,000 meters of wires have been replaced and 35 reinforced concrete poles have been installed. The investment in them exceeds 500,000 leva.
Remotely controlled load disconnectors have been installed on the network, which are part of the automation process. They allow for quick localization of faults and shorten the time for restoring power in the event of an accident.
Plans to improve the power supply in the region also include the construction of a new connection from the Lukovit substation. It will provide backup power supply to the villages. The procedure for putting the facility into operation has currently been launched.
In order to carry out the listed improvements and to be able to work on the network, it is necessary to make it safe. This is related to operational switching and disconnecting the power supply. It is expected that active repair and investment activities will be completed by the end of August, which will lead to a significant reduction in the number of outages.
In the next 3 months, the process of automating the network will continue with the installation of remotely controlled load disconnectors worth 1 million leva, which will allow for faster localization of failures.
The easement area of the power line that supplies the region is also to be cleared of nearby and dangerous trees. The activity has been assigned to an external qualified contractor. Its implementation will greatly reduce the risk of wires breaking as a result of fallen tall trees. The above activities are also accompanied by operational shutdowns, but with less intensity.
Summer is the period in which traditional network maintenance is carried out and it is prepared for winter. The facilities in the area have been inspected, thermal imaging and ultrasound imaging have been performed, and all observations are being promptly addressed.
Information about the areas where planned outages are expected, their duration, and whether a specific address falls within their scope can be found on the ERM West website, in the Outages section: https://ermzapad.bg/bg/za-klienta/prekusvania/.
In addition, it should be noted that the Ugarchin area is powered by a 20 kV overhead power line “Ablanitsa“, passing through mountainous and rugged terrain, subject to adverse weather conditions such as storms, lightning, strong wind and rain. This is the reason for over a third of the outages in the last two months.