DOE sets new target date to restore power in Samar, Leyte and Bohol
DOE Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said 120 MW of electricity that was supposed to be transmitted to the three provinces on Wednesday, July 12, will instead happen on August 1.
“The transformer of the Ormoc substation is not working, according to the NGCP [National Grid Corp. of the Philippines],” said Fuentebella. The said transformer is crucial to the delivery of power that will be coming from Cebu and from some of the geothermal power plants of Energy Development Corp. (EDC).
The 120 MW represents 55 percent of the power demand coming from the three provinces that were severely affected by the earthquake on July 6.
The remaining 40 MW that will be sourced from EDC’s Tongonan geothermal plant that will provide power to the said provinces on July 19 instead of July 16. “This is the latest status coming from the EDC,” Fuentebella announced.
NGCP, for its part, is looking at other options to transmit power, one of which is the relocation of transformers to Leyte. It is also considering to provide connection of power barges that will be installed in Bohol, Ormoc, Leyte, Tagbilaran and Maribojoc.
Meanwhile, the agency launched Wednesday its “E-Power Mo!” campaign designed to empower consumers by providing them information and options on the intelligent utilization of energy resources.
In his keynote message during the event, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi emphasized that energy sufficiency is a cornerstone of the Duterte administration’s thrust towards a globally competitive and inclusive economy that improves the quality of life of all Filipinos.
Without sufficient energy to power industries, Cusi said, it would be most difficult to pump-prime the economy en route to creating more jobs, improving the delivery of government services, and fast-tracking infrastructure projects.
The DOE, Cusi explained, is pursuing a neutral stance insofar as fuel and energy sources are concerned, and the guiding principle is for the energy mix to take into account both economic and ecological concerns.
