7 more companies join VECO's deloading program

CEBU, Philippines - At least seven more companies in Cebu have agreed to help alleviate the problem on power supply in the province by enrolling to the deloading program initiated by the Visayan Electric Company dubbed as the Interruptible Load Agreement.

Marco Polo Plaza hotel, Oro China Jewelry and Pawnshop, Golden Peak Hotel, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Aboitiz Equities, Sunpride Foods and Innodata Isogen yesterday agreed to generate their own power so as to minimize brownouts that are caused by the power shortage.

“Not everyone has the capacity to alleviate this. I’m asking you to help us out. You are not doing this for Veco, but for those who don’t have the capacity to generate their own power. Once we have brownouts, I don’t want to outline what we will have with the peace and order situation, incon-venience and all the negative consequences that will follow…” said Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to representatives of the companies that attended the meeting she called at the Capitol yesterday.

VECO implemented ILA early this year after foreseeing that the Cebu-Negros-Panay grid load, the biggest source of energy in Cebu, could not sustain the increasing need for power of the province.

Ricky Lacson, VECO’s vice president for administration, explained to those present in yesterday’s meeting that the shortage of power could reach up to 40 megawatts during the peak seasons, especially during the last quarter of the year.

Big corporations are the biggest energy consumers, hence, to prevent massive blackouts, VECO has appealed that they should generate their own electricity at least 20 hours per month, as agreed in the ILA.

So far, San Miguel Corporation, AD Gothong, Metro Colon, Emall, Ayala Center, Metro Mandaue, Metro Ayala, Waterfront Hotel, SM City and Gaisano Country Mall have participated in the scheme since August this year. The companies have produced an average of 17 megawatts from their own generator sets.

But Lacson said this is not enough, considering that Cebu’s power supply needs 40 to 50 megawatts to solve blackouts.

Still, Lacson said the problem of brownouts is “temporary,” as VECO is expecting to have additional power source of 446 megawatts from power plants from the Korean Power Electric Corporation SPC and from the Cebu Energy Development Corporation.

Both corporations are scheduled to operate their power stations by next year and the year after. – Liv G. Campo/JMO   (FREEMAN NEWS)