The two consumers’ groups in central Negros lauded Negros Power for its swift action in restoring Alijis substation supply in Bacolod City.
In separate statements, the Power Watch Negros (PWN) led by its secretary general, Wennie Sancho and the Utilities Consumers Advocate for Reforms (UCARE) through its convenor Roy Cordova, expressed their gratitude “to the concern showed by Negros Power to the 48,000 affected homes” due to the breakdown of the 13-year-old Alijis substation facility that led to widespread power outages that lasted almost a week.
“The inconvenience brought about by the recent power interruptions in Brgy. Alijis, Bacolod City and other affected areas were disruptive. But the case of a busted transformer that was the root cause of the blackout must be investigated, in order to prevent the occurrence of the same incident in the future,” Sancho said.
With the risk of power outages in the future, it is crucial for Negros Power to assess the aging equipment of CENECO in terms of its utility value, he added.
Sancho further said that it is hard to swallow the truth that the energy infrastructure of CENECO is vulnerable and is under maintained or its distribution lines are weak, and more likely to experience system scale failures.
This is a big challenge for the rehabilitation program of Negros Power, he stressed.
“The ability to quickly restore power after a blackout is crucial for maintaining a resilient power system. Power system restoration is a highly intricate process, involving multiple steps, numerous operational decisions, and complex technical constraints, making it a challenging task,” the self-styled power advocate added.
Roel Castro, president and CEO of Negros Power, is presenting their 5 year development plan next week before the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod.
On the other hand, UCARE said it is “grateful to Negros Power for all the efforts done for the early restoration and re energization of electric power for the consumers covered by the feeders of Alijis sub-station.”
The immediate arrival of the 10MVA mobile substation from MORE Power Iloilo and the installation and connection to the Alijis substation enabled NEPC to urgently solve the power woes brought about by the breakdown of the aging power transformer of CENECO, it added.
“The precision undertaken by Negros Power to restore electricity is indeed proving that NEPC is a distribution utility that will be trusted for the supply of reliable power,” the consumer group further said.*