Electricity fully restored to more than 48,000 Bacolod consumers

SWITCH ON The 10-megavolt ampere mobile power substation from Iloilo City brought to Bacolod City is switched on on Aug. 26, temporarily replacing the Alijis substation’s damaged transformer and restoring power to households and businesses in the city and nearby areas. —Negros Power photo

BACOLOD CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines — The Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC) has fully restored electricity to more than 48,000 consumers on late Monday, ending a week of rotational brownouts triggered by the damaged transformer of the Alijis substation here.

Roel Castro, NEPC president and chief executive officer, said they delivered the electricity to the affected customers through the 10-megavolt ampere (MVA) mobile substation from Iloilo City that was brought to the Alijis substation and linked to the feeders of other substations.

READ: Bacolod folk endure power outages due to busted transformer

“With the energization of the mobile substation, the power has returned to normal, and no more rotational brownouts will be implemented by Negros Power,” Castro said in a statement on late Monday.

The 13-year-old, 37-MVA transformer at the Alijis substation that went bust on Aug. 21 would be replaced.

To avoid another power disruption, some feeders of the Alijis substation will remain tied to adjacent substations until NEPC energizes an 18-MVA new power transformer at Alijis, which is set on Sept. 2, Castro said.

He said their decision to bring the 10-MVA mobile substation of MORE Power from Iloilo City was a significant risk on their part because it was the asset of their sister company. However, he said they had to take the risk because their priority was to restore electricity immediately.

Priority

The early destruction of the Alijis substation’s transformer allowed them to fast-track its rehabilitation, along with six other substations also previously owned by Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) that have now reached critical operational levels, added Castro.

NEPC, he said, would prioritize their rehabilitation once the power firm fully implements its P2-billion, five-year development plan in central Negros.

NEPC and Ceneco earlier entered into a joint venture agreement to augment the financial needs in the rehabilitation and modernization of the electric distribution assets and meet the power demand of the increasing number of consumers.

NEPC, starting last Aug. 1, began deploying its personnel to augment the management and operations of the distribution system of Ceneco, which NEPC had purchased.