ERC assures support for TransCo projects

Energy Regulatory Commission chairman Rodolfo Albano assured the National Transmission Corporation that it would always cooperate and support its projects.

Albano commended TransCo for its projects that increased power supply in different areas in the country, particularly in the Visayas grid, where there is critical supply of power.

The ERC chairman was among those who witnessed the inauguration and switch-on ceremonies of TransCo's P149-million Panay-Boracay Interconnection Project under its Small Island Submarine Interconnection Development (SISID) Program last Saturday.

With the project now fully operational, TransCo president Alan Ortiz said that the country's premier tourist destination is now assured of cleaner and more reliable supply of electricity.

Ortiz said that the PBIP will also increase the transfer capacity of power to the island by 30-megavolt amperes through a 1.6 kilometer of 69 kilovolt submarine cable, which is embedded under the seabed and laid between TransCo's cable terminal stations in Caticlan and Manoc-Manoc in Boracay. According to Ortiz, SISID aims to provide a more stable and quality source of electricity to preserve the marine environment and prestine beauty of Boracay, while at the same time meeting the island's growing demand for power.

Presidential adviser on rural electrification, Fr. Franciso Silva, who was also among those who witnessed the event, expressed optimism that the project will benefit both the rich and poor people in Boracay for the upliftment of their quality of life.

He said that TransCo's project to enhance transmission lines and substation facilities is in support of President Arroyo's 10-point agenda, which include electricity and water to all barangays nationwide. The local government of Boracay and Aklan are also very grateful for the project as it would further boost the area's tourism potentials. - Wenna A. Berondo