Veco: Almost done restoring power

WITH power gradually being restored in Metro Cebu after supertyphoon ‘Yolanda’, the Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) is more than half way done.

As of 9 p.m., the private utility reported it had restored 217 megawatts (MW) to serve a 230 MW weekday peak demand.

No timeframe was given for a 100 percent restoration but it could be a matter of days yet.

Veco’s franchise area covers San Fernando town in the south to Liloan town in the north.

Veco corporate communications manager Theresa Gonzales-Sederiosa said all Veco feeders were restored except for barangays Cabancalan and Pak-naan in Mandaue City and Consolacion town.

Island mode

“If there is no power in certain areas it is because of lateral damage due to technical problems in the lines and poles,” she said in an advisory.

Sederiosa said transmission problems by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) have limited their power supply.

She said they’re not discounting the possibility of rotating brownouts in areas where power was restored.

Sederiosa said NGCP’s transmission lines connecting Cebu to Panay and Leyte were still being restored.

Sederiosa said they are operating on “island mode” with 195 MW of power sourced from Cebu Energy Development Cor. (CEDC), Cebu Private Power Corp. (CPPC) and East Asia Utilities Corp. (EAUC).

interruptions

But Sederiosa said Veco is finding means to address the power shortage, including buying additional power from East Asia Utilities.

Veco has deployed 250 personnel since last Friday to attend to complaints of fallen electric posts and loose wires.

With their limited supply, Veco is prioritizing areas where hospitals are located.

Second priority are the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) pumping stations and areas where installations are vital to public service area.

NGCP corporate communications officer Elmer Cruz said they expect transmission lines to Veco, Cebu Electric Cooperative 1 and 2 (Cebeco 1 and 2) and Mactan Electric Co. (Meco) to be fully restored by 6 p.m. yesterday.

He said they plan to restore 207 MW of power within Veco’s franchise area from San Fernando town in the south to Liloan town in the north by 3 p.m. yesterday.

Restored

Areas where NGCP lines were restored include parts of Mandaue City, Consolacion, Liloan and Cebu City.

As of 9 a.m. all Veco feeders have been restored except for one in Cabancalan area.

Cebeco 1, covers Carcar City to Santander town via Barili while Cebeco 2 covers Compostela town to Daanbantayan and Tabuelan to Tuboran.

Daanbantayan was the hardest hit since Yolanda’s presence was most felt in Cebu’s northern portion.

Telecommunications companies Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular were also kept busy restoring their cell sites.