Dear Editor,
For several months we have been experiencing issues/problems with electric power supply. There are regular power cuts – sometimes up to three in a single day.
The duration varies – sometimes it is only for a few minutes but other times it can be for up to four hours. The cuts can be at any time of the day or night and are at variable times.
One day we had a cut at 11am, one at 4.40pm and the final one at 11pm.
On another day, one started at midnight and the power did not come back on until 4.30am.
Access to our property is via electric gates, so if a cut occurs when we are out we cannot get back in.
We have made repeated complaints to the EDP office in Albufeira which, to date, has proved a total waste of time. Initially, there were bizarre exchanges where we were asked if we had a swimming pool and whether the pump was on when a cut took place!
We pointed out that cuts occur at random times and that in any case we pay for three-phase power which has always been OK in the past. We have also explained that the problem is not just at our house – a wide zone is being affected which covers the Paderne area and extends at least part of the way to Messines and Albufeira.
When cuts occur it is not just domestic usage. All of the street lights go out and house owners who have mains water lose access to water supplies as power to the water supplies is also cut off.
The EDP office in Albufeira just refers us to what it euphemistically called technical services. We eventually made contact with “technical services” but this was equally unhelpful. The gist of the conversation was that they would send a letter.
After some pressure, a very opaque answer was given which said essentially that the cuts were to “safeguard” the power supply. No indication was given about the exact nature of the problem or when it would be solved. A letter repeating this information has now been received.
It would be interesting to know how far this problem extends and whether anybody has any suggestions about a remedy.
John Hunt
Paderne
