Napocor promises to help upgrade Camotes Island’s power distribution lines

Power distribution lines in Camotes Island have not been upgraded in the last 28 years causing rotational brownouts in the area. | Photo courtesy of the Capitol PIO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — It’s been 28 years since power distribution lines in Camotes Island were installed.  These lines never experienced any upgrade since.

The presence of an already outdated single-phase distribution line is blamed for rotational brownouts affecting the towns of Tudela, Poro, Pilar and San Francisco.

But the problem will already be addressed soon after the National Power Corporation (Napocor) promised to lead the upgrade of the island’s 27 kilometer power distribution system.

The Camotes Electric Cooperative (Celco) distributes power to island residents.

Napocor President Pio Benavidez promised to help in the upgrade of the island’s distribution lines during a December 20 meeting with Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, says a Dec. 26 press release posted on the Facebook page of the Capitol’s Public Information Office.

But before Napocor could start working on the planned upgrade, Benavidez is asking the Cebu Provincial Board to pass a resolution asking their office to do the said task.

They will also have to include the cost of the upgrade in their 2021 budget since their 2020 allocation was already approved, Benavidez said.

“If the resolution is already passed, Benavidez said he will send out his personnel to Camotes (Island) to study the power distribution lines there,” says the Capitol’s news release.

In Garcia’s previous meetings with Celco executives,  the governor was told that upgrade of the island’s distribution lines would cost at least P900,000 per kilometer.

Celco executives claimed that they are financially incapable of funding the planned upgrade because they have been operating with losses amounting to P9 million in 2017 and P7 million in 2018. / dcb