Garcia to ERC: Address power supply woes in Bantayan Island
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia meets with town mayors of Santa Fe and Madridejos as well as representatives from the Energy Regulatory Commission, Isla Norte Energy Corporation, and Bantayan Island Power Corporation on Thursday, October 21, 2021. | Photo courtesy of Sugbo News
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — To address the long-time energy supply problem in Bantayan Island, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia urged the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to issue a Provisional Authority to Operate to the new power generator in northern part of the island.
Garcia told reporters that she made the call to the ERC after Bantayan’s power distributor, Bantayan Electric Cooperative (BANELCO), advised its consumers in the island that the new power generator INEC’s Testing and Commissioning had been terminated last October 18.
She said it would be better if INEC could augment the needed power supply to Bantayan Island Power Corporation (BIPCOR), which had taken over for the meantime, though the latter assured of having enough supply.
“I said please see to it kay Bantayan is a prime tourist destination. Our economy is just starting to recover there. Ug magbalik na pod tag tag 12 hour brownouts, wa na guba ang mga appliances magsirado ang mga [tourist spots], wa nay mangadtong turista, mawad-an na pod og trabaho,” Garcia reportedly told BIPCOR during her meeting with the power distributor along with the town mayors of Madridejos and San Fe, ERC, BANELCO, and INEC on Thursday, October 21.
(I said please see to it because Bantayan is a prime tourist destination. Our economy is just starting to recover there. If we return to the 12-hour brownouts, then our appliances will be damaged, the [tourist spots] will be closed, no tourists will go there, many will lose their jobs.)
The governor said the they are waiting for the ERC to issue such PAO to the INEC, stressing that the most concerning thing was that the contract between BIPCOR and BANELCO would allegedly end around November 8.
“Kon walay provisional authority ang INEC, dili makasulod, blackout sa Bantayan kay di naman sad maka-supply ang BIPCOR kay undang naman ang ilang kontrata by November 8. So we have been raising this to ERC, I just hope ba nga they would realize the urgency of the situation and not treat this as just some other ordinary item in the agenda,” said Garcia.
(If INEC will have no provisional authority, they cannot enter, Bantayan will experience a blackout because BIPCOR cannot supply because their contract ends by November 8. So we have been raising this to the ERC, I just hope that they would realize the urgency of the situation and not treat this as just some other ordinary item in the agenda.)
BANELCO reportedly requires an average of 7.5 megaWatts daily to supply the entire island, in which Garcia said that INEC, which has five brand new generating sets, is more than capable to supply the entire load requirement.
“Mao nang kahimtang ron, and it’s such a ridiculous irony mao na nag-experience og rotating brownouts ang Bantayan, tungod kay naundang na ang testing and commisioning sa INEC. Supposed to be issuehan na unta na sila’g Certificate of Compliance unya Authority to Operate pero bisa’g Provisional Authority na lang unta and ERC can issue that anytime,” said Garcia, adding that the ball is in the hands of ERC.
(That is the situation now, and it’s such a ridiculous irony that Bantayan is experiencing rotating brownouts because the testing and commissioning of INEC has ended. They were supposed to be issued a Certificate of Compliance and then Authority to Operate but even a Provisional Authority was not even issued to them which the ERC can issue anytime.)
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