With the power woes experienced in the Visayas, the demand for generator sets is increasing.
Some hardware stores in Cebu have reported an increase in demand for generator sets since the 6.5-magnitude earthquake that struck the Visayas, which left geothermal power plants damaged and at least four provinces without electricity.
Michael Tan, manager at Cebu Yan Mar Trading along Legaspi Street in Cebu City, said they had sold more than 30 generator set units since Saturday.
“Majority of our customers are from Bohol and Leyte, most of whom said they will use the gensets for their homes,” he told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview on Friday.
Yan Mar’s generator sets range from P12,000 to P74,000, depending on the capacity and are fueled by either diesel or gasoline.
The earthquake last week damaged geothermal power plants in Leyte, most of which are owned by the Energy Development Corp. (EDC), cutting off power in the provinces of Leyte, Samar, Biliran and Bohol.
Before the earthquake, the power plants supplied more than 500 Megawatts (MW) to the Visayas Grid.
But with these facilities still under repair, there is a deficit in the Visayas’ power supply.
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) and EDC are fast tracking the repairs to damaged power generation and transmission facilities in a bid to stabilize the grid’s supply.
Demand for generator sets was also up in Davao Citi Hardware along Natalio Bacalso Avenue in Cebu City, merchandiser Psyche Gabatid said.
“We usually sell 5 to 10 units every month, but since Saturday, we’ve already sold 15,” she said.
Each genset costs P3,000 to P30,000, depending on the capacity and like Yan Mar, their customers are mostly from Bohol and Leyte.