MECO tells Oponganons: Brace for power rate hike

Engr. Gilbert Pagobo, general manager of Mactan Electric Company (MECO), said that the incident has resulted in the decrease of power supply transmission in the entire Mactan Island.

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — Electric consumers in Lapu-Lapu City can expect an increase in their monthly bills in the next six months.

This was after one of the two transmission lines of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) got cut off due to the digging at the crossroads of Ouano Avenue in Mandaue City.

The said area has an existing road project under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), wherein the contractor of DPWH accidentally hit the transmission line of NGCP while digging in the area.

Engr. Gilbert Pagobo, general manager of Mactan Electric Company (MECO), said that the incident has resulted in the decrease of power supply transmission in the entire Mactan Island, which comprises Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova town.

Due to this, Pagobo said that their consumers may experience a series of brownouts.

Aside from this, the incident will also increase power rates.

“Karon man gud ang capacity sa nabilin nga line is 180 (megawatts), now ang demand is sobra sa 180 (megawatts). Kung ang normal nga kanang 180 (megawatts), mao nay limit sa line. Kung imo nanang i-breach sa 180 (megawatts), ang system operator mo-declare na siya nga congested na, so unsa may mahitabo kung congested na ang line, motawag na siya ug planta para dili na siya mo-overload nga kana nga area,” Pagobo said.

Pagobo said that the only available plant in Mactan is a diesel power plant operated by East Asia.

“So kanang pagpadagan ni East Asia karon, mao nay bag-ong reference sa presyo,” he added.

He said that their consumers can expect up to a P2.00 per kilowatt hour increase in their monthly bills in the coming months.

MECO has a total of more or less 110,000 household consumers and around 600 industrial consumers. Most of their industrial consumers were locators at Mactan Export Processing Zone (MEPZ).

Pagobo said that this is not the first time that a transmission line of NGCP was affected by a road project in Mandaue City. He said that the first incident happened in 2015 and was followed by another in 2019.

He added that normally, NGCP would need six months to completely restore its transmission.

However, Pagobo said that NGCP has no concrete plan yet of when they can start the restoration works.

Cordova Vice-Mayor Victor “Boyet” Tago also expressed his worries about the power supply crisis that they are about to face.

Tago plans to pass a resolution to the Sangguniang Bayan, urging the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to shed light on the incident.

Tago said that he will also ask the help of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia so that those who were responsible for the incident would be held accountable.

“Kay for the fast resolution sa problema kay dako baya gyud ni. Ang importante man gud, ang pinakadako kaayo nga problema karon ang rate,” Tago said.        /rcg

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