Bohol has sought to harness power from two barges owned by the PHINMA Energy Corp. and the SPC Island Power Corp. in a bid meet the province’s electricity demand amid continued efforts to repair permanent power sources in quake-hit Leyte.
Governor Edgar Chatto told DYRD Balita that PHINMA Energy’s power barge was expected to arrive in Bohol in three to seven days.
The said barge can generate up to 24 MW of power, said Engr. Rizalino Santos, senior vice president of PHINMA Energy, the PHINMA group’s power supply arm.
However, the 32-MW power barge of SPC which is still in General Santos City would take about three weeks to reach Bohol where it will be moored to the riverbanks of Abatan, Cortes.
The Bohol Energy Development Advisory Group (BEDAG) noted that both power sources with currently running diesel-fired and hydro power plants in Bohol would likely cover most of the province’s energy requirement.
Bohol has a power demand of 79 MW which peaks at 83.5 MW if the consumption of the Alturas Group of Companies is included.
The 12-MW Bohol Diesel Power Plant has been operational and providing power in Tagbilaran City through the approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission.
Electric utilities have also been harnessing energy from the Hanopol, Sevilla and Loboc Hydro Power Plants which generate approximately 8 MW of power.
Meanwhile, officials of the energy companies inspected three proposed docking sites of the power barges in Maribojoc, Cortes and Catagbacan in Loon.
Once the barges arrive and are ready to operate, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines will then have to install lines to transmit power to electric distributors.
Tagbilaran City and areas served by the Bohol Electric Cooperative 1 have been rationing power to their feeders while those under BOHECO 2 have not been allocated power supply since the tremor hit Leyte Thursday last week.
The 6.5-magnitude quake crippled facilities of the NGCP and the Energy Development Corp. which owns the damaged power plants in Leyte.
Bohol mostly depended on power from the EDC’s Leyte facility before the tremor. (Rey Tutas)