Negros Electric and Power Corporation (Negros Power) has successfully restored electricity to over 40,000 consumers affected by the breakdown of the Alijis Substation in Bacolod City. Their team worked tirelessly, even through rain, putting in their best effort to bring stability and power back to Alijis Substation, particularly to Alijis Feeders 1 and 3.
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Mobile Substation Deployed for Immediate Relief
At around 10 a.m. on Monday, Negros Power restored full electricity service to customers in the areas served by the Alijist Substation. They achieved this using a 10 MegaVolt Ampere (MVA) mobile substation brought in from Iloilo City. They also had to reroute power to the feeders from nearby substations. The mobile substation, which has a capacity of 12 MegaWatts (MW), is enough to meet the 9.3MW demand of Alijis Feeders 1 and 3.
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Resolving Rotational Brownouts
Alijis Feeder 3 had endured nearly five days of rotational brownouts. Negros Power had to connect AF3 to the Murcia substation temporarily. Murcia substation is about 6 kilometers from AF3. Due to the distance and limited supply, load shedding had to be implemented. However, with the mobile substation now energized, normal power has returned, eliminating the need for further rotational brownouts.
Ongoing Preparations for New Transformer Installation
Some feeders from the Alijis Substation remain connected to nearby substations. This is only temporary until Negros Power energizes the new 18MVA power transformer. They hope this will be operational by September 2. And by then, power in the areas Alijis Substation is serving can be more stable.
Prioritizing Consumer Needs
Roel Z. Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Negros Power, acknowledged the risks they took by bringing the 10MVA mobile substation from Iloilo. The mobile substation belongs to their sister company MORE Power. “We took this risk because our priority was to restore electricity as quickly as possible for the consumers in Bacolod City,” Castro shared.
He further stated, “We are not happy about what has happened but are committed to making things better for the consumers. Just give us time, space, and the benefit of the doubt. We will prove ourselves in due time.”
Early Rehabilitation Plans
The sudden failure of the 13-year-old power transformer on August 21 triggered an early rehabilitation of the Alijis Substation. It is now part of a prioritized upgrade. There are six other substations previously managed by the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) needs upgrade. Many of these are nearing or have reached critical operation levels. Negros Power committed two billion pesos as part of their joint venture agreement with CENECO to upgrade the current power system. This rehabilitation will be a key focus once Negros Power fully implements 5-year development plan in Central Negros.
Strengthening Partnerships and Ensuring Stability
Negros Power and CENECO signed a Joint Venture Agreement to address the pressing financial needs of the current distribution utility. Part of this JVA is for the upgrading of electric distribution assets to meet the increasing power demands of the growing consumer base.
In response to CENECO’s request, Negros Power began deploying personnel as early as August 1 to support the management and operation of CENECO’s distribution system, which they had purchased.
