Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental assured of enough electricity

AFP FILE PHOTO

DIGOS CITY, Davao del Sur—The Davao del Sur Electric Coop. (Dasureco) assured its more than 60,000 customers in the provinces of Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental on Tuesday of uninterrupted power supply even if the Mindanao grid continues to suffer from supply deficit.

Godofredo Guya, Dasureco general manager, said while other Mindanao areas still experience rotating brownouts, the power co-op’s consumers can ease the summer heat with cooling appliances because of the modular gensets that help power them.

Dasureco is among eight Mindanao cooperatives which started using fuel-fired gensets as additional power sources since last month.

The Mindanao modular genset program was funded by the Malampaya Fund.

The use of the gensets provided the electric co-op with at least 13 megawatts of power for distribution to consumers.

“This (summer heat) brought the power supply demand to at least 42 megawatts compared to just 35 megawatts on peak hours during the rainy season. Without the modular generator sets, we would have experienced 8 to 10 hours of rotational brownouts in Davao del Sur,” Guya said.

Romeo Montenegro, director for investment promotions and public affairs of the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda), said during a recent media summit in Davao City that the use of modular gensets would increase electricity rates.

Guya admitted that Dasureco consumers would have to pay more if the gensets are used. But he said these were not running all the time.

“We only pay for what we consume. Therefore, if we don’t use it Dasureco will not be obliged to pay the contractor,” he said.

Guya, meanwhile, said Dasureco was hoping that the repairs on power plants in Mindanao would be completed soon to end the energy crisis triggered by their being off-grid.