RESIDENTS of Occidental Mindoro will get a reprieve from prolonged brownouts after the National Electrification Administration (NEA) announced last Wednesday that at least 23 megawatts (MW) of additional capacity will be sourced from Power Systems Inc. (PSI) and DMCI Power Corp. (DPC).
The NEA and PSI have agreed to operate a diesel power plant that has a dependable capacity of 5 to 6 MW. The agency said it will shoulder the power plant’s cost of operation for a period of two months.
The agreement takes effect on April 29. NEA said this would give the residents of Occidental Mindoro roughly six to seven hours of electricity per day from the current four. The situation of 20-hour brownouts has sent residents reeling under extreme heat in summer, and disrupted the local economy, sparking calls for investigations.
Last Wednesday, Sen. Sherwin T. Gatchalian advised the NEA to temporarily take over operations of the local supplier, the Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc. (Omeco), noting that this is allowed by the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira).
Exemption issued
MEANWHILE, the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Certificate of Exemption from the conduct of the Competitive Selection Process (COE-CSP) for the negotiated procurement of 17 MW Emergency Power Supply Agreement (EPSA) between DPC and Omeco.
NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano C. Almeda has requested the DPC to immediately supply power to Omeco.
“DMCI promised to roll out 10 MW in a matter of 30 days and the 7 MW in two months. The EPSA would last only until March 31, 2024, which would give Omeco time to conclude its CSP to procure power for its long-term energy requirements,” said Almeda.
Apart from these, the NEA is expecting 4MW of diesel generator sets that will be sent to Occidental Mindoro and another 4MW on standby.
The said units were procured during the time of former President Benigno S. Aquino III for the Mindanao power crisis in 2013.
Almeda said the NEA attended an interagency meeting with the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) and updated President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the steps taken and are still needed to finally address the energy crisis in Occidental Mindoro.
NEA takeover urged
IN Gatchalian’s view, the NEA should step in, using its mandate under the law, and take over the problematic electric cooperative in Occidental Mindoro.
In making the suggestion, the senator invoked the Epira law (Republic Act 9136), which vests NEA with so-called “step-in rights” or the power to take over problematic electric cooperatives until all issues hounding them have been resolved and operations are normalized, or electric supply is stabilized.
Once NEA takes over—as has been done with other electric cooperatives elsewhere in the country—a task force shall be formed to resolve the problem of supply, with the subsequent calling of an election to determine who should sit on the board of Omeco.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian urged the National Power Corp. (Napocor) to right away deploy generator sets to fill the aching gap in power supply for Occidental Mindoro.
The Napocor, he stressed, can do this right away—and should do so right away, considering the huge economic toll and the suffering of the people in the province, who are feeling the extreme heat of summer like most of the country. With Lenie Lectura