• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The new 18MVA transformer has been connected and energized at the Alijis Substation in Bacolod City, Negros Power announced on Sunday.
The energization was initially scheduled for September 2, but Negros Power said it completed the assembly of its accessories and other requirements ahead of schedule.
The new 18 MegaVolt Amperes (MVA) power transformer will support the 10 MVA mobile substation installed by Negros Power at the Alijis Substation, which was energized on Monday last week.
The new transformer will supply electricity to six feeders of the Alijis Substation, with a capacity reaching 16.5 MegaWatts (MW).
However, portions of Alijis Feeders 2 and 6 will remain connected to the Reclamation and ASDES-Gonzaga Substations’ feeders to address their supply shortfall.
The 37 MVA transformer of Alijis substation was damaged on August 21, triggering widespread power outages across seven feeders and affecting about 48,000 consumers.
Power was restored on Aug. 26, with the help of 10 a MVA mobile substation provided to Negros Power by its sister company, MORE Power, brought in from Iloilo City.
The busted transformer at Alijis substation was replaced by Negros Power.
The early demise of the 13-year-old power transformer at the Alijis substation led to its early rehabilitation on top of six other substations previously owned by Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO), which are now said to be breaching the standard threshold or already reaching critical operational levels.
Their rehabilitation will be prioritized, according to Negros Power, when it fully implements the P2 billion 5-year development plan in Central Negros.
Negros Power and CENECO recently entered into a Joint Venture Agreement to augment the financial needs in the rehabilitation and modernization of the electric distribution assets and meet the power demand of the increasing number of consumers.*
