A total of 87 out of 95 or 92% of transmission lines affected by Typhoon Odette in Visayas and Mindanao have been restored, according to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
This comes as Lines 1 and 2 of the 138-kilovolt (kV) Colon-Samboan line in Cebu was energized on Sunday, said NGCP Engineering Project Management Department Head Randy Galang at a news briefing on Monday. Prior to this, the 69kV Tagbilaran-Ubay line in Bohol was energized on New Year’s Eve. Two other lines in Leyte were also partly restored.
However, power distribution in Bohol has been delayed, as only SPC Power Corporation’s 32-megawatt (MW) Power Barge (PB) 104 is operating, according to Mario Marasigan, Director of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Electric Power Industry Management Bureau.
PB 104 was supposed to generate power together with the 22MW Bohol Diesel Power Plant (BDPP) by December 31. Unfortunately, the BDPP’s switch gear caught fire a week earlier on December 23. Both facilities would be able to provide 60% of the island province’s electricity needs.
While transmission service may be restored, resumption of electric services down to the household level may still take awhile also due to damages to the power distributors’ facilities themselves.
In relation, the DOE reported that power has yet to be restored in all households within the franchise areas of Bohol Light Co. Inc. (BLCI) and Bohol I Electric Cooperative (BOHECO I), while only 1.9% of those in the Bohol II Electric Cooperative’s (BOHECO II) have resumed electricity services. BLCI is expected to have full power restoration on January 31, while BOHECO I and II are still assessing the situation in their areas.
BLCI only covers Tagbilaran City. BOHECO I serves the rest of western mainland Bohol, plus Panglao Island; while BOHECO II covers the eastern half, plus Lapinig Island.
In Mindanao, power has yet to be restored to all households under the Siargao Electric Cooperative, while the Dinagat Islands Electric Cooperative has resumed services to 0.45% of households and 0.74% for the Surigao Del Norte Electric Cooperative. Siargao and Dinagat were the first two islands to be hit by Odette.
In Leyte, only 0.3% of households served by the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (SOLECO) have restored power services, while the Leyte IV Electric Cooperative — covering the western part of the province — has restored electricity to 21.53% of households in its service area. SOLECO is expected to fully restore its services on February 15.
In Cebu, the Visayan Electric Company (VECO) has restored power to 27.49% of households in its franchise area, while the Cebu I Electric Cooperative (CEBECO I) has resumed services to 16.76% of its covered households. The Mactan Electric Company (MECO), meanwhile, has restored power to 50% of its households. VECO is expected to fully restore power services to its customers, also on January 31.
Aboitiz-owned VECO, the country’s second-largest distribution utility, covers eight cities and towns in mainland Cebu, including Cebu and Mandaue cities. MECO covers nearby Mactan and Olango islands, while CEBECO I covers the southern part of Cebu.
In Negros, the Negros Oriental I Electric Cooperative — covering the northern part of the province — has restored to power to only 3.75% of households. All other electric cooperatives in the island have restored services to at least 34% of households.
Full power restoration is also expected in mainland Palawan on January 31.
Photo from NGCP Facebook page.
