The secretary general of Power Watch Negros said that the granting of the Negros Electric Power Corp. (NEPC) franchise could provide relief to the sufferings of the consumers of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) brought about by frequent power outages.
Whenever there is a brownout, especially when it happens regularly, CENECO has to bear the brunt of criticism. Brownouts do not only give rise to irritation but also serve as a disincentive to investment and thereby an obstacle to employment generation, Wennie Sancho said in a press statement.
The far-reaching economic effect of a prolonged power outage would be insurmountable. According to energy experts, a five-hour power outage results in approximately P560 million in economic losses. This estimation is based on the concept of Value of Lost Load (VOLL), which represents the monetary cost of electricity supply interruption on a macro level, he said.
Some observers say that CENECO seems to have reneged from its slogan of “Giving light and creating opportunities” to giving brownouts and creating difficulties for the consumers. Sancho said that it would seem that CENECO’s power is dimming and it has become synonymous with brownouts and inefficient services. The infrastructure of CENECO must be rehabilitated before it would collapse under the weight of its own contradictions, Sancho said.
Meanwhile, the CENECO consumers are fuming mad at the series of brownouts that occurred on March 26 that lasted for four hours with the same often-repeated justification, “due to the activation of its protective equipment the kv69 tripped off.” But they did not explain what was the cause of the activation, Sancho said.
On April 11 another brown out occurred. It was reported that an optical ground wire was severed or cut-off. Again, for several hours we have to suffer the heat of the night. Power Watch Negros requested for an in-depth investigation as to whether the cutting off of the optical ground wire cable was deliberate or was caused by “force majeure,” he said.
Union members of CURE and RESCUE, those who are opposing the NEPC franchise, must admit the hard to swallow truth that the distribution infrastructure of CENECO, its power lines, transformers and substations are substantially aged and congested. Our energy infrastructure is vulnerable to system failures and equipment breakdowns due to lack of maintenance. Our distribution lines that move electricity over long distances are built on transmission equipment that averaged 20 to 30 years or more and much of which has passed its useful and reliability based end of life. Most of our electricity meters are beginning to show their age and are developing replacement plans, Sancho said.
Most consumers are asking how long must we wait until the franchise of NEPC is granted to level-up the operations of CENECO. The granting of the NEPC franchise will be a morale-booster for those consumers who could no longer bear the suffering brought about by power outage. We are not only frustrated but we are desperate. How long must we suffer from a dreadful anticipation of a brownout? How long will it be until the day of deliverance? The granting of the franchise that shall give relief to our heavy burden, he added.*
