The combination of weather conditions that are extremely adverse for the network (heavy, wet snow and ice accretion), which have prevailed this week, has caused damage to sections of the network supplying rural areas of the municipalities of Pljevlja, Šavnik and Žabljak.
According to initial field reports, more than 130 poles have been damaged, including seven lattice steel poles and two concrete poles. Over 60 per cent of the damage has been located in the rural area of the Municipality of Žabljak. Precise information on the extent of the damage is still being compiled, as it is impossible to reach certain sections of the network due to impassable roads.
The damage is predominantly the result of weather conditions. Heavy, wet snow and ice accretion (ice around conductors), combined with strong winds, create significant additional loads on the conductors, causing pole failures and line outages.
Due to the extent of the damage and impassable roads, the situation is most difficult in Šaranci and along the stretch from the village of Malinsko towards Boan. In the Municipality of Pljevlja, network problems are most pronounced in remote rural areas (Gradac and Višnjica).
Crews are continuously in the field. Difficult access to the network and the terrain make it harder to locate the damage and deliver the materials required for repairs, slowing down the restoration work.
Since the beginning of the year, significant financial resources have been invested in routine maintenance in Region 7 (Pljevlja, Žabljak, Šavnik). Approximately 1,500 worn-out poles and more than 1,000 kg of (Al Fe) wire have been replaced, and over 11,000 metres of aerial bundled cable, together with suspension equipment, have been installed. High- and low-voltage equipment at around ten 10/0.4 kV substations has also been overhauled. In addition to routine maintenance, over EUR 160,000 has been invested this year in capital maintenance of facilities in the Pljevlja area.
In view of the numerous activities undertaken to prepare the network for winter operating conditions, we reiterate that power supply problems in the areas mentioned are, in most cases, the result of factors beyond our control, namely extremely adverse weather conditions.
