Palawan SPUG plants get major boost from NPC

By Lenie Lectura – February 13, 2017

from Business Mirror

The National Power Corp. (Napocor) will energize eight new Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) power plants that will supply electricity to around 6,000 households in Palawan.

In a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed with the local government units of Palawan, the Napocor will provide the generating sets, fuel and manpower for the new SPUG plants, while the local government will put up the power houses and plant site.

“The MOA is the realization of the commitment we made during the formulation of a village electrification convergence action plan for the province held in 2016,” Napocor President Ma. Gladys Cruz-Sta. Rita said.

The said convergence action plan was an avenue for the stakeholders, like the Department of Energy, Napocor, Palawan Electric Cooperative (Paleco), National Electrification Administration, Busuanga Island Electric Cooperative  and the Provincial Government of Palawan (PGP), to talk and agree on the roles of each in enhancing the power supply of the province.

The eight new SPUGs are in Barangays Tara, Coron; Paly, Beton, Casian in Taytay; Concepcion, Agutaya; Nangalao, Linapacan; and Bancalaan 1 and 2 in Balabac.

Sta. Rita said the SPUGs will help boost tourism and local livelihood in the said areas.

The signing of the MOA was included in the state firm’s consultation and workshop on planning and forecasting for missionary electrification in Palawan, which aims to engage all its stakeholders in the province in dynamic discussions on improving the power supply in the province.

Meanwhile, Napocor said its Power Engineering Services is already in the preconstruction stage in connecting the municipalities of Taytay and El Nido to the Palawan backbone transmission. This is after the corporation has successfully switched on the Puerto Princesa to Roxas transmission line project last year.