Power co-ops beat 2020 new connections target

By Angelica Y. Yang – March 9, 2021 | 7:32 pm
from Business World

PHILSTAR

National Electrification Administration (NEA) PHILSTAR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES (ECs) connected 522,905 new power consumers last year, beating the target set for them by 14%, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) said.

“This achievement reflects the hard work and commitment of the NEA and the 121 ECs to provide and extend electricity services to Filipinos living in rural areas even though faced with challenges posed by the pandemic,” NEA Administrator Edgardo R. Masongsong was quoted as saying in a statement Tuesday.

The NEA said the updated total of consumer connections within EC franchise areas at the end of 2020 was nearly 14.25 million.

Some 47% or 6.68 million of the consumer connections were in Luzon, 27% or 3.78 million in the Visayas and 26% or 3.78 million in Mindanao.

“Batangas II Electric Cooperative, Inc. contributed most to the overall accomplishment with 341,252 connections, followed by South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative, Inc. with 274,239,” the NEA said.

Other ECs in the top five were Albay Electric Cooperative, Inc., Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative, Inc., and Central Negros Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Negros Occidental was the province with the largest base of EC connections at 634,092.

“The number of unserved consumers in the rural areas is now down to 1,550,510,” the NEA’s Information Technology and Communication Services department said.