No power outages despite grid repair, says Cebu utility firm

CEBU — The Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) has given assurance that it will continue to provide steady power supply even as the Cebu Private Power Corp. (CPPC) undergoes an "urgent corrective maintenance shutdown" for four days starting today.

The corrective maintenance shutdown of the Ermita diesel power plant is reportedly "overdue and unavoidable."

But Veco said that despite the four-day maintenance shutdown, its other power providers will keep the supply steady to prevent outages.

Veco has closely coordinated with the National Power Corp. (Napocor), National Transmission Corp., Toledo Power Corp., East Asia Utilities Corp. and CPPC to alleviate the impact of the maintenance work on the grid.

"There might be a little power shortage of 25 megawatts but that would be bearable since we have prepared for this. We have energized transformers to avoid interruptions," said Veco public relations officer Ethel Natera.

The Napocor has promised to supply 25 MW while the Toledo Power Corp. will provide 10 MW to compensate for lost power during the Feb. 9-12 maintenance shutdown.

In a move to conserve power, Veco has considered closing the loops on its 69-KV sub-transmission lines to avoid overloading and minimize interruptions. — Freeman News Service