Tawi-Tawi electric co-op eyes 20% system loss

Tawi-tawi, Philippines  – Tawi-Tawi Electric Cooperative (Tawelco) is targeting a reduction in its system loss to 20 percent this year from 27 percent in 2009, a top official said yesterday.

Tawelco general manager Hector Tabilisma told reporters on the sideline of the Switch-On Ceremony and Launching of the Distance Learning Facility of TeaM Energy Foundation Inc. here that their cooperative has been intensifying efforts to reduce its system losses over the past years.

In 2008, he said, their system loss stood at 47 percent.

Tabilisma said these efforts enabled Tawelco to pay up some of its debts to the National Power Corp. (Napocor).

Tawelco president Ibnotalib Nasirin, on the other hand, said the 10 megawatt power demand in the province is being served mostly through the use of generator sets, less than six MW of which has been provided for.

Tawi-Tawi is also being powered through the Napocor’s small power utilities group (SPUG) power barges.

Nasirin said Tawelco has been slowly energizing the province by putting up small generating sets with about 250 to 500 kilowatt capacities.

The Tawelco official said they are set to energize next week the municipalities of Sibutu and Sitangkay using gensets with a total capacity of 750 kw.

He said they are now in the process of powering up four more municipalities – Ubian, Sapa-sapa, Langoyan and Turtle Islands. This could be done, through the setting up of two small units of gensets at 350 kw per plant.

According to Nasirin, the structure of Tawi-Tawi makes it difficult for them to energize the islands.

“Our capability is limited only to gensets and the islands are scattered, making it hard for us to provide power to the people,” he said.

In 2006, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) intensified efforts to help ailing electric cooperatives in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

NEA recently approved the creation of three administrative service areas in Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative Inc. as one of the solutions to its operational problems.

NEA also adopted another strategy towards improving its operations in this area such as organizing an advisory council composed of experienced and credible people from the different sectors of the province.

Similar development programs are being pursued in Southern Mindanao , specifically by the Basilan Electric Cooperative Inc., Sulu Electric Cooperative Inc., and Tawelco.