Rotational brownouts cripple Bantayan towns

A technician of the Bantayan Island Power Corp. (BIPCOR) checks on one of the generator sets in this March 1, 2016 file photo.

Rotational brownouts of at least two to three hours have been inconveniencing residents and businesses on Bantayan Island since last Monday due to generator problems.

Engineer Lee Rivera, general manager for Bantayan Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Banelco), said a 3-megawatt generator needs repair while one 1.7-megawatt generator needs a replacement for its turbocharger.

“I would like to ask the public for their patience. We are addressing this problem,” Rivera said.

The two-hour brownouts occur in the afternoon and evening.

Only three generator sets of three megawatts, 250 kilowatts and 300 kilowatts are operating at present.

“These three operational generator sets are not enough to address the peak load in the island,” Rivera said.

Bantayan Island’s peak load is 5.2 megawatts with 23,681 connections for residential areas and 2,291 connections for commercial and public buildings.

Rivera said they were expecting a turbocharger replacement yesterday for the 1.7-megawatt generator set that was purchased from Switzerland last April.

He said there’s an ongoing general inspection on the three-megawatt generator set to identify any other problems with it.

Barring any other problems, Rivera said they may finish the repairs on Friday this week.

“It’s a good thing the brownouts didn’t occur during Holy Week. The peak load during Holy Week reached 5.8 megawatts for the whole island,’ he said.

Rivera said their application for an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the purchase of an additional three-megawatt generator is pending at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Bantayan Island is comprised of the towns of Sta. Fe, Bantayan and Madridejos.

Sought for comment, Sta. Fe Mayor Jose Esgana said they are experiencing two to three hours of brownouts six to seven times a day.

“It’s getting worse. . . . It’s affecting the tourism industry which is forced to use gasoline-fed generators that pollute the air, and the brownouts are also affecting the appliances of households,” Esgana said in text messages to Cebu Daily News.

More than 30 resorts in Sta. Fe are now using generator sets. Bantayan Mayor Ian Christopher Escario said their water supply relies on power to pump underground water for consumption.

“I could not say minimal effect, it’s inaccurate and in bad taste to downplay it,” Escario said.

He said his office had yet to receive any complaints but he expects bookings in Bantayan’s 10 resorts to be down due to the brownouts.

Madridejos Mayor Jay River Dela Fuente, who was in Cebu City yesterday, said he will send a team to assess the town’s power supply problem.