Energy executives fear lack of power for Cebu

The power supply in the region may only be good for the next two years, according to energy officials, because of the fast increasing economic activities here.

The Department of Energy 7, in its power demand projection, revealed that power demand in the region continues to grow yearly and without additional capacity, power supply here would only last until 2008.

Energy officials, are, however, hopeful that with the help of the national government, the region can overcome this possible problem

President Gloria Macapagal - Arroyo, during her visit to Cebu two weeks ago, promised that she would allocate funds for projects that would make power supply here stable to sustain economic development.

Arroyo visited the province to attend, among others, the inauguration and switch on of the Leyte-Cebu Interconnection Uprating Project and the Cebu-Mactan Interconnection Project at the Cebu Hilton Hotel and Resort Spa. Arroyo said that the two projects would provide ample power supply to Cebu for the next five years.

However, even the President is apprehensive that this power supply would suffice if economic activities here would continue.

Nevertheless, Arroyo assured that she would shell out more funds to put up additional power projects in the Visayas, particularly Cebu to ensure that there would be no brownouts here.

The National Transmission Commission also reported that the Cebu-Negros-Panay grid has posted the highest growth rate in power demand at seven percent annually due to increased economic activities.

To meet this growth, Transco said that it continues to install more projects and improve its transmission lines to augment their carrying capacity.

Meanwhile, Transco has already signed a contract last Thursday with Japanese contractor Kanematsu Corporation for the P149 million Panay-Boracay Interconnection Project.

Transco president Alan Ortiz said that the estimated 12 to 15 megawatts of mostly diesel generators in the island could already be disposed of once the project, which has a carrying capacity of 40 MW, is completed. The existing 13.8 kilovolt line has a maximum carrying capacity of only 8.5 MW.

With the new project, Ortiz said, Boracay, which registered an P8 billion gross income in 2004 because of the influx of tourists going there, will continue to prosper. - Wenna A. Berondo