Visayas governors push for alternative energy sources

SAN JOSE, Antique, Philippines  – Visayas Governors are fast-tracking the construction and development of alternative sources of energy in order to cushion the impact of the expected power shortage in the next few years.

Antique Governor Salvador “Sally” Perez yesterday said she has already talked with other governors in the region and all have agreed to fast track the exploration and development of alternative power sources, like coal-fired power plants, hydropower plants, biomass, among others.

“We are all aware of the problem in the Visayas, especially the foreseen power shortage in the Cebu-Bohol-Panay grid and we are working in hand-in-hand to solve this problem,” Perez said during a press conference here.

In her province, Perez said they are now looking at the Villasiga Hydropower plant, a renewable source of energy located in central Antique, hoping to not only lower electricity cost but to also increase investment here.

The hydropower project, which is located in Paliuan River Bugasong, will be undertaken by the Sunwest Water and Electric Company Inc. and is expected to be finished by 2011.

The issue on power shortage in the Visayas was raised following the six-hour power interruption that hit major provinces of the Visayas region on Saturday.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who was one of the invited guests during the Antique’s Binirayan festival, said two power plants will be built in Cebu that would provide additional 436 megawatts of power that will be distributed not only in Cebu province but also in the provinces that are part of the Cebu-Negros-Panay-Bohol power grid.

A massive power outage hit the province of Cebu and many provinces in the Visayas mid-morning Saturday that crippled business and weekend leisure activities.

Garcia said the Cebu Provincial Government and the business sector, together with power distributor Visayan Electric Company have signed a memorandum of agreement on interruptible power de-loading, which would minimize power interruption to residential consumers.

Big malls and companies in Cebu are turning off their main power lines and running their back-up power generators to prevent massive brownouts as a result of the ongoing power shortage in the CNP grid.

From April 13 to 16, 10 companies, including malls, de-loaded a total of 160,050 kilowatt-hour (kWh) in response to the call of VECO and the Cebu Provincial Capitol for a voluntary de-loading due to the estimated power shortage of 40 to 70 megawatt in the grid.

“This is the first of its kind in the Philippines where businesses voluntarily turned off their main power lines and ran generators to avoid browning out residential areas due to the power shortage,” said Sebastian Lacson, VECO Vice President for Administration and Customer Service Group.

As a result of the interruptible load program, Lacson said residents of Cebu were not able to fully experience the effect of the power shortage in the grid because the companies and malls volunteered to “give the community a lot good” by cutting off from the main power line for several hours each day.

During the said week, San Miguel Corporation de-loaded a total of 43,475 kWh; SM City Cebu, 37,525 kWh; Super Metro Mandaue, 19,365 kWh; Gaisano Country Mall, 12,333; Metro Gaisano - Colon, 12,000; AD Gothong, 8,373; Cebu Holdings, 8,012; Metro Gaisano Ayala, 6,940; Waterfront Cebu City Hotel 6,747; and Elizabeth Mall 5,280 kWh. — Garry B. Lao/WAB (THE FREEMAN)