Governor Edgar Chatto on Tuesday said that the power barge now moored to a port in Ubay will remain in Bohol to prevent complete outages in the province until the government has secured a more reliable power source.

According to Chatto, the water-based power facility will be stationed in Bohol until the completion of the Cebu-Bohol interconnection project in 2020 or the proposed island-based power plant in 2023.

The power barge’s owner Salcon Power Corp. (SPC) will only be paid for its facility’s usage and not for its stay in waters off Bohol, Chatto said.

“The SPC assured that they will stay under the principle of rate of use,” he added. “No surcharges will be added by distribution utilities to consumers when the power barge is not used.”

Bohol remains dependent on the largely unstable Leyte-sourced geothermal power which has prompted the province to seek alternative sources.

In its latest report, the Regional Development Council 7 indicated that the completion of the Cebu-Bohol interconnection project is expected in 2020 while Chatto also bared the same target year.

“In our meeting with [energy] Sec. Al Cusi when he was here for the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, it was said that agencies are set to expedite the interconnection’s completion,” Chatto said in English and Cebuano.

Meanwhile, initial efforts to build an island-based power plant in Bohol have already started as officials including Chatto bared their target to complete the facility by 2023.