Mokokchung, December 16 (MExN): It is blackout for the past five days at the Ao Baptist Church Council (ABAM) centre in Impur. The culprit is a 63 KV power transformer which went kaput, leaving the more than hundreds of residents in the ABAM Mission centre without power.
Although there is regular load-shedding in different parts of Mokokchung district, there is uncertainty over the resumption of power supply in Impur. A reliable source from the Power department disclosed that the ‘transformer’ for Impur has been repaired, but there is lack of ‘transformer oil’.
“Transformer oil” or insulating oil is usually a highly-refined mineral oil that is stable at high temperatures and has excellent electrical insulating properties. It is used in oil-filled transformers, some types of high voltage capacitors, fluorescent lamp ballasts, and some types of high voltage switches and circuit breakers. Its functions are to insulate, suppress corona and arcing and to serve as a coolant. Without it, the transformers would simply go off with a bang.
A Mokokchung Power department official (who said he is in Dimapur) disclosed that the transformer at Impur has been ‘repaired’ but there is shortage of “transformer oil”. A litre of “transformer oil” is said to because around Rs. 120. However, it is not the cost that matters here, but the availability of the ‘oil’. The official said there is transformer oil to be allocated through the Doyang Hydro Project. However, it is uncertain. Without the oil, even the transformer at Impur would be useless. It would be a long anxious wait indeed.
Residents of Impur Mission Centre are going through a hard time, with no power since the past five days. A resident of Impur informed that they even have to send batteries of their mobile phones to be recharged either at Mokokchung or the neighbouring villages. With Christmas barely around the corner, residents and the Power department as well are keeping their fingers crossed as to whether Christmas 2011 would be a ‘white’ or a ‘black Christmas’. Everything depends on the transformer now. Or perhaps, the transformer oil.
