NGCP lends substation equipment to Cebu coop

By Myrna M. Velasco – November 7, 2016, 10:00 PM

from Manila Bulletin

To prevent service distress in the franchise area of the Cebu 2 Electric Cooperative (CEBECO II), transmission firm National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has temporarily lent a transformer unit to the utility firm.

The system operator said it responded to the emergency request of CEBECO II, “following the sudden breakdown of a 10-megavolt ampere transformer in the local utility’s Cogon substation in Compostela, Cebu.”

The company added that it had to grant the loan of the transformer unit, because it typically takes 6-8 months to go through the whole chain of procurement process for such equipment.

NGCP similarly stressed that “apart from assisting in transporting the equipment to Compostela,  (it) extended its support by conducting a technical evaluation and commissioning of the transformer.”

That form of assistance to the electric cooperative, the transmission firm said “will allow power in the Northern Cebu franchise area of CEBECO II to normalize.”

So far, that will benefit around 12,000 residential, industrial and commercial end-users in the area – at least in the interim.

NGCP has dual function as transmission service provider and system operator, and in cases of potential and actual system breakdown, it could be of great aid to players across the chain.

The help it has extended to CEBECO II on the equipment loan, according to NGCP, is one that it considers “contribution to the power industry” that in turn will bear socio-economic benefits to consumers.

“The power industry – though composed of various stakeholders – is a single entity, and the support we give to our partners will ultimately benefit the entire country,” the company stressed.

Power interruptions and system technical glitches are generally desired to be prevented because they don’t just cause irritation to the consuming public but will also have economic implications.