Mid-last year, information dissemination started for a consumer plebiscite asking people to approve a joint venture agreement (JVA) between CENECO and Primelectric. This agreement will pave the way for the formation of Negros Electric and Power Corporation (NEPC) or Negros Power for short. Primelectric Holdings, Inc. is the same company that runs MORE Power in Iloilo and is responsible for modernizing its system. But before Negros Power can formally take over, what we have been fearing last year is starting to happen. Ailing CENECO facilities have imploded, beginning with the Alijis substation power transformer as the first casualty. Read more.
The Ailing CENECO Facilities
When the JVA was brought up, part of the case presented by Negros Power was that CENECO facilities are like ticking bombs that could go off anytime. It can be remembered that CENECO could no longer purchase new and more modern equipment because their loans were not approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
Despite their best efforts, CENECO could only give band-aid solutions to their deteriorating equipment.
The application for the Negros Power franchise took a very long time and went through so many channels. Finally, the company secured the much-awaited seal of approval from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last July.
The last step before their complete takeover is the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN), which Negros Power is waiting for. Rehabilitating and modernizing the entire Central Negros electrical system requires a lot of planning and work. It can be remembered that Negros Power President and CEO Roel Z. Castro said that they have a five-year plan to work on their entire coverage area and the work starts when the CPCN has been granted.
Sadly, before the plan could be implemented, some ailing CENECO facilities were already bogged down.
Massive Brownouts and Consumers’ Reaction
The breaking down of the 13-year-old Alijis substation power transformer caused massive power interruptions in the area because seven (7) feeders connected to it. The outage affected more than 40,000 registered consumers, causing so much damage and losses to residents and businesses alike.
Affected consumers were angered about the long brownouts and were further worried because the transformer needed to be replaced and work could take 2 weeks.
But that didn’t stop Negros Power from finding solutions to the problem. They immediately declared the transformer irreparable and ordered a replacement. However, the two-week work-around time is too long to keep the consumers living without electricity, so they connected the Alijis feeders to nearby substations. While the solution is temporary, the affected areas were energized for a few hours a day.
Understanding their consumers’ plight, Negros Power also asked for reinforcement from their sister company. Yesterday, MORE Power sent over their 10 KVA mobile substation, which is expected to temporarily energize the area by Tuesday.
Gratitude
Negros Power is grateful to its consumers for their understanding. Despite the troubles that the massive brownouts have caused, most of the people’s reactions on social media have shifted because they are assured that Negros Power is working on restoring power in affected areas.
And Negros Power is doing all that even while their CPCN has not yet been granted.
The happenings recently just proved that the consumers made the right choice in approving the JVA. Bacolod City and Central Negros are in for a brighter future when the development plans of Negros Power have been fully implemented.