Power supply has been disrupted in several parts of Viti Levu following damage to Energy Fiji Limited infrastructure caused by Tropical Cyclone Urmil.
In a media update issued at 5pm, EFL confirms that adverse weather conditions over the past 12 to 24 hours, including strong winds, heavy rainfall and flooding, have resulted in fallen power poles, damaged overhead lines and faults on the distribution network .
They say in Korovou, a fallen power pole has affected communities from Barotu Village to Rokoroko Village, including Ra High School, Ra Maternity and Waimaro Health Centre.
In Momi, a fallen pole has disrupted supply to areas including Uciwai, Nawai Secondary School, Momi Village and surrounding settlements.
Natadola is also experiencing outages due to a fallen tree and damaged high-voltage line.
EFL says its teams are working in challenging conditions to clear debris, repair faults and progressively restore power where it is safe to do so.
Meanwhile, a hot-spot has been detected at the 132kV Nadarivatu switching station.
EFL has advised that the transmission line between Nadarivatu and the Vuda zone substation will need to be switched off for urgent repairs to prevent a major failure that could cause prolonged outages in the Western Division.
The repair work is expected to take about five hours once teams reach the site, although access has been slowed by flooded roads.
EFL further says during this period, electricity supply in the Western Division will rely on thermal and renewable power stations, which may not fully meet demand, meaning some areas will experience temporary outages.
EFL is urging members of the public to treat all power lines as live and to stay clear of any fallen or damaged lines, as they may become energised without notice. .
