Damage to electric cooperatives’ (ECs) facilities in areas hit by Typhoon Odette in Visayas and Mindanao currently stand at Php1.12 billion, according to the National Electrification Administration (NEA).
At a news conference organized by the Department of Energy on Thursday, NEA’s Ernesto Silvano reported that the estimated damage so far covers 15 ECs in Negros, Antique, Guimaras, Bohol, Biliran, Leyte, Misamis Oriental, and the Surigao provinces.
Meanwhile, NEA has yet to receive updates from seven ECs on damages to their facilities. Among these are the Dinagat Island and Siargao Electric Cooperatives. Siargao and Dinagat were the first two islands hit by Odette.
Six ECs in Negros Oriental, Cebu, Bohol, Southern Leyte, and Surigao Del Norte also reported having total power interruption as of present.
The estimated damage for the whole power sector is expected to increase, as the said figure does not account for private distribution utilities based in major provincial cities and the power transmission facilities of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. NEA oversees ECs’ operations.
