CEBU, Philippines - Aboitiz-controlled Visayan Electric Company (VECO) announced yesterday the addition of 10 more companies enrolled in its Interruptible Load Program (ILP), totaling to 21 companies now involved in helping Cebu avoid power shortage.
The new ILP participants include; International Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IPI), Marco Polo Plaza Hotel, Oakridge Realty Corporation, Sunpride, Park Mall, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Bangko Sentral Philippines, Skyrise 1, J. King (Club Ultima) and Coca-Cola and Innodata.
With the entry of the additional twelve companies to VECO’s ILP, the company is now more confident that power supply shortages can be addressed.
The new ILP participants can de-load a maximum of 11.17 MW (megawatts), bringing the total maximum generating capacity to about 50 MW.
“This would be of great help to VECO especially during times of maintenance work or problems experienced by the power plants. There might be no more need to interrupt residential customers as well as small commercial companies,” Veco said in a press statement.
At present, nine companies are in VECO’s ILP program. Since April 2009, these companies have been responsible for ensuring either no power outages or minimal outages despite the breakdown of several plants serving the CNP grid.
The companies’ participation has greatly helped in easing the grid’s tight power supply situation. The entrance of the additional companies will help us buy time while waiting for the new power suppliers to come in next year, Veco said.
Veco also attributed this development to Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia who has been instrumental in the success of the program.
“On several occasions, she has met the power industry players and VECO’s big power consumers, encouraging them to join the program as part of their civic duty to the Cebuanos,” the statement said.
The first batch of ILP participants are: San Miguel Corporation, SM City Cebu, Ayala Center Cebu, Metro Gaisano Ayala, Metro Gaisano Mandaue, Metro Gaisano Colon, Waterfront Hotel, A.D. Gothong, Gaisano Country Mall and E-Mall.
The ILP is one of the measures conceptualized by VECO to address the power shortage.
During power shortages, VECO's large customers are to de-load from VECO's system and have the option to run their own generators or simply stop their operations.
This will reduce the shortage and minimize, if not prevent rotating brown outs. These large customers are partially compensated for the cost of de-loading from VECO's system.
Meanwhile, the CCCI is requesting National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to maximize the capacity of the submarine cable in the Cebu-Negros-Panay Grid that can carry a maximum of 400 megawatts (MW) and now running only at 360 MW.
Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry Power Core Group chairman Carlos Co said that if power importation from Leyte or from Aboitiz Power’s Tiwi-Makban plant in Luzon will be granted, the immediate additional power of 40 MW will substantially help the power shortage in Cebu.
“Frequent brownout is everyone’s concern. We hope that NGCP will consider our request as soon as possible,” Co said. —Ehda M. Dagooc