WITH COVID-19 vaccines arriving shortly, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has made early preparations to ensure electricity supply at vaccine storage and vaccination centres nationwide remain stable during the implementation of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme.
“Malaysia will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine starting Feb 21, followed by the first phase of the immunisation programme on Feb 26. A stable electricity supply is needed as the vaccines have to be stored at -70 degree Celsius.
“Discussions with the Health Ministry (MOH) are continuously held to identify their needs, especially those involving efforts to avoid power supply disruptions at vaccine storage,” said TNB chief distribution network officer Datuk Baharin Din.
He also said that TNB will ensure that the main and alternative electricity supply system operate effectively at all storage and vaccination centres.
“We are also drafting a contingency plan for rapid recovery of supply at several substations identified, through the installation of remote automation supply system including Normal Off Point (NOP), Automated Transfer Scheme (ATS), and Remote Terminal Unit (RTU).
“To avoid system failures, condition-based maintenance (CBM) work on substations and electricity connectors to vaccine storage centres has been carried out.
“TNB also conducts engagements with hospitals and health clinics to ensure that their gensets are functional and ready to operate if needed,” added Baharin.
With that, he stated that TNB’s technical team will be on standby, with mobile gensets placed at strategic locations to ensure swift action is taken in the event of supply disruption at vaccine storage centres.
“We have also provided two special communication channels (special lines) to the vaccine storage centres to enable fast communication with TNB in the event of a disruption.
“In the meantime, I seek the cooperation of contractors who are carrying out digging work near TNB underground cable to contact us before commencing to avoid damage to the cable, which can cause supply disruption, especially in vaccine storage centres,” Baharin stressed. – Feb 20, 2021.
