VECO unveils new substation in Naga

CEBU, Philippines - The Visayan Electric Company (VECO) yesterday unveiled its new switchyard and substation in barangay Colon in Naga.

Ethel Natera, VECO's communications manager, explained that with this new facility, the power from Cebu Energey Development Corporation (CEDC) in Toledo City is now directly delivered to the households without passing through the CNP (Cebu-Panay-Negros) grid, thereby, bypassing the transmission cost it used to pay to the CNP grid.

Natera said at least "about a few centavos per kilowatt hour" will be reduced from the consumer's transmission charge, which is reflected in the monthly bill.

Last September, the 36-kilometer line or 138kV-tie line from Toledo to Naga City initially transmitted 31 megawatts to VECO's AYA substation, and has been distributing to all its 300,000 consumers all over its franchise area.

Presently, the substation, named after its former Executive Vice President-Chief Operating Officer the late Alfonso Y. Aboitiz, has been able to draw 57 MW from CEDC, halfway from its contracted 105MW with VECO, Natera said.

Meanwhile, Natera said the new substation is also seen to "help lessen the brownouts" since the Cebuano consumers now get directly all of the 105MW power supply from the Toledo plant.

Natera however said the demand is now pegged at 360MW, but "so far, we are coping up" through other power sources, hence, despite the National Grid Corp of the Phils.' notices of power shortage, the rotational power outages were not felt recently.

The AYA substation is the biggest among VECO's 16 substations, sitting in a vast 1.3 hectare property in Naga. (FREEMAN)