Coop taps other DUs to restore power in 3 northern Negros localities

The Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (Noneco) sought assistance from neighboring distribution utilities (DU) to restore power supply in three localities hit by massive outages since Tuesday morning. Most of the areas in Victorias City and the municipalities of E.B. Magalona and Manapla experienced a series of power interruptions for more than 24 hours after Noneco's 15 mega volt-amperes (MVA) Victorias substation broke down around 5:50 a.m. the day before. Noneco general manager Wilbe Bilbao said in a video statement on Wednesday they connected with the distribution line of Negros Electric Power Corp. (NEPC) in Silay City for a temporary supply of two megawatts to some affected consumers, particularly in E.B. Magalona. 'As of 1:10 p.m., electric services have been successfully restored in parts of E.B. Magalona town,' he added. Bilbao said they also borrowed the 10MVA power transformer of Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (Noceco) in Pulupandan town. By 3:22 p.m., the transformer has been instal led and will undergo a series of procedures, including comprehensive testing, leak checks, and degasification. 'Once these processes are complete, the results will be submitted to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) for approval. We will then await NGCP's clearance to energize the transformer and restore electric service,' Bilbao said. In an earlier statement, Noneco said they have also requested the Victorias Milling Company, a co-generating company embedded in the 15 MVA Victorias substation distribution line, to provide a 2.5MW power supply to some affected consumers. 'However, we would like to inform our member-consumer-owners that despite these ongoing efforts, certain isolated areas will remain without power due to the limitations on the load capacity of the current transfers,' it added. From late August to early September last year, the same three localities also experienced a six-day massive power outage caused by the breakdown of the 15 MVA Victorias substation. To restore power su pply, Noneco then sought assistance from Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco), now the joint venture partner of NEPC, which loaned its 15 MVA transformer to Noneco. Source: Philippines News Agency