Phuket’s power system said to be “Y2K-ready”

PHUKET TOWN: The island’s Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) is now ready for whatever the Millennium may throw at it, says PEA vice president Kumnueng Tadsri Khun Kumnueng says the entire computer system has been upgraded to comply with standards set by the General Accounting Office. All elements of it have been tested and are Y2K-ready. But just in case the setup fails due to unforeseen circumstances, the PEA has an emergency fallback plan, which was also tested and passed last October. In addition, the PEA has assigned a number of officers to be at their stations so that if the automatic system fails, staff will be able to switch to manual operation. Extra electrical generators have been installed in key areas such as hospitals and the airport. If, despite all these preparations, power does go out on December 31 or January 1, the PEA says there is no need to panic – the black-out may not be due to Y2K but to other problems. Those who lose electricity should notify the PEA on 210427-8, 212125 or 224029. People with questions about power supply should call (02) 590-59900, fax (02) 590-5214-5 or e-mail webmaster@pea.or.th. Additional information about electricity and Y2K can be found on the authority’s website at www.pea.or.th.