Power back in Bohol, but only briefly

TAGBILARAN CITY — There was only one way resident Jenalyn Castro would know if electricity had returned to her home — flick the switch.

To her surprise, the light in her living room came to life, a sign that power was back.

“I hope this continues,” said Castro. The first thing she did was charge her cellular phone.

While electricity returned to Bohol on Friday, it was confined only to this capital city and only for several hours.

Power had to be cut for at least six hours a day as supply fell sharply when geothermal plants in Leyte, the main source of electricity in Bohol, had to be temporarily shut down for repairs following the 6.5-magnitude quake that struck Leyte.

In a statement, the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) said all its plants in Leyte were still not operating as an assessment of the extent of the damage was being done.

It said that Unit 1 of Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant “may not be operational for some time due to cooling tower damage.”

But one plant, Upper Mahiao, would be in operation in up to seven days, bringing 132 megawatts “back to the grid.”

“We are still working to clear landslide debris,” said the EDC.

In 10 days, the EDC said that at least 317 MW of power would be back to the grid.

The Bohol Light Company Inc.  (BLCI), the main power distributor in Tagbilaran City, tapped the Bohol Diesel Power Plant (BDPP) in the village of Dampas here for additional electricity.

But the BDPP does not have the capacity to supply the province’s entire power needs.

EDC said access to one of its geothermal plants, Mahanagdong, “remains difficult.”

According to May Hope Arcenal, BLCI spokesperson, power demand in Bohol peaks at 80 MW.

The province has three hydropower plants in three towns—Balihan, Loboc and Sevilla—with a combined capacity of less than 10 MW. Some areas in Tagbilaran City had power for only an hour.

Arcenal said that mall owners and big establishments in the city used generator sets.

The Bohol Electric Cooperative also started to ration electricity to consumers in Maribojoc and Calape towns on Friday night.—WITH A REPORT FROM CONNIE FERNANDEZ