The constant refrain by electrical network operator E-REDES that it is “doing everything it can” is no longer acceptable to populations who are now in their 11th day without electricity and consequently water and telecommunications.
The municipality of Leiria (along with all its parish councils) has written an Open Letter to José Ferreri Careto, the president of EDP which manages the E-REDES network, demanding “more daily information, and by parishes, on the level of reposition of services, previsions for normalisation and alternatives”.
The latest assessment by E-REDES (this morning) indicated that 41,000 customers in the district of Leiria are without electricity, out of a total of 57,000 who remain without service in the area most affected by Storm Kristin. Nationwide, the total number of locations without power is 63,000, writes Observador.
For Leiria, this is just not acceptable.
“We are talking about families, agricultural producers, local businesses, homes, isolated and vulnerable people who remain in a very fragile situation, often without any clear information about when normality will be restored,” says the letter – accepting that damages caused by Storm Kristin 11 days ago had “an exceptional dimension” but that cannot excuse the “lack of clear, regular and localised information”, nor “the inadequacy of mitigation measures to minimise the prolonged impact of the power outage”.
In spite of being part of an electrical supply network majoritarily-owned by Chinese state company China Three Gorges, E-REDES is (meant to be) an operator of an essential public service, the letter points out. “The necessity of communication, proximity and respect for populations are responsibilities every bit as relevant as technical intervention”.
Populations also have a right to know what the concrete situation is in each parish, the text adds – “namely what foreseeable deadlines are being considered for the restoration of service, what criteria guide priorities for intervention, what technical constraints remain and what solutions are being adopted to overcome them, plus what mitigation measures are being taken to support the population while restoration is not possible – particularly with regard to the provision of generators or other temporary solutions”.
In the Open Letter, local political leaders point out that, in addition to the damage caused by the interruption of the electricity supply, “it is imperative that those affected be duly compensated for the damage suffered, in a manner to be clarified by the responsible entity, in a fair, swift and transparent manner”. They warn that the lack of objective, up-to-date and accessible information, combined with the lack of visible compensation in many situations, has been causing anxiety, indignation and a growing feeling of abandonment. They therefore consider it essential that E-REDES promote the following:
- Daily public information, by parish, with an indication of the number of homes reconnected and estimates for normalisation of service;
- The creation of a direct, permanent and operational channel of communication with the Municipality and Parish Councils, enabling the timely sharing of information and a coordinated response to the most critical situations.
- The clear definition and communication of mitigation measures, namely the provision of generators or other temporary solutions, prioritising the most vulnerable situations;
- Regular presence of E-REDES personnel in the territory, to keep the public informed and articulate with local representatives.
These past 11 days have brought home to many the ‘results’ of selling off what used to be ‘national infrastructure’ to those whose interests may not exclusively be ‘in the public interest’.
source material: Observador
