Aboitiz Power Corporation, through subsidiary Cebu Private Power Corporation (CPPC), has switched on its oil-fired power plant in Cebu City to assist in immediately restoring power in its surrounding areas, particularly to vital facilities, following the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
The said plant, AboitizPower said, has the unique capability to deliver power directly to circuits and customers of the Visayan Electric Company (VECO), the country’s second largest power distributor. AboitizPower said this is vital given that transmission lines and substations were severely damaged. VECO is also owned by AboitizPower.
Four CPPC power generator units started delivering 18 megawatts (MW) of power supply directly to VECO on Sunday morning, providing much needed electricity starting with priority areas like hospitals, government facilities, and the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) pumping stations. CPPC aims to double its power output to 36MW.
“The initial power output from CPPC is very limited and will be sent to hospitals like [Cebu City Medical Center], Vicente Sotto, Chong Hua, and Perpetual Succor, as well as to MCWD so that water supply can be restored, and to the Cebu Provincial Capitol,” said VECO COO Raul Lucero.
“Until [the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP)] restores power transmission services, the electricity supply situation in Cebu City will likely remain inadequate. We ask for the public’s continued patience and understanding as we are doing our best to deliver electricity to our customers as soon as it is available,” Lucero added.
Based on NGCP’s bulletin on Monday night, power has only been partly restored in the southern half of Cebu, including Cebu City and other cities and towns under VECO’s franchise area.
“We are extremely grateful to AboitizPower and its business units Visayan Electric Company and CPPC for the swift response to provide the much needed power to our communities. This is very crucial to Cebu’s recovery from the impacts of the typhoon,” said Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.
AboitizPower continues to mobilize its field teams to accelerate power restoration and relief operations activities in affected areas. Teams from its other distribution units like Davao Light and Power, Subic Enerzone, and Cotabato Light were deployed to assist in the power restoration efforts in Cebu.
