Sen. Raffy Tulfo is calling for the investigation of the Northern Davao Electric Cooperative (NORDECO) due to power outages in Samal Island which is now under a state of calamity.
Tulfo said it appears that NORDECO was the root cause due to negligence since the cooperative’s submarine cables are quite old. “They haven’t been replaced yet,” Tulfo said.
The antiquated submarine cable was installed 43 years ago, and it can no longer cover the entire capacity of the island, the senator said.
On average, the power outage in the area lasts 7 to 8 hours during peak load and 2-3 hours during off-peak daily. This has been going on since last year.
The NORDECO also apparently failed to prepare for the increase in electricity demand in the area, considering that before the island became a tourist spot, the lack of electricity here was unnoticed.
“And now that Samal Island is frequented by tourists, its peak demand went up from 3 megawatts (MW) to 9MW due to the rise of establishments such as resorts, restaurants and markets,” Tulfo said.
The senator noted that Samal Island is connected to the Pantukan Grid via a submarine cable owned by NORDECO.
He said the country continues to suffer from an energy crisis that has affected Occidental Mindoro, Panay Island, and now Samal.
Tulfo said lawmakers are set to conduct a hearing on the said power crisis on May 24.
The senator said the Senate Committee on Energy Policy will discuss issues on the energy crisis in Samal Island. The panel will also probe who is liable.
“We can look for a long-term solution,” he said.
But from what appears now, NORDECO was the root cause of negligence since their submarine cable were as old as their ancestors. “They haven’t been replaced yet.”
The antiquated submarine cable is installed in 1980s or 43 years ago, and it can no longer cover the entire capacity of the island.
On average, thempower outage in the area lasts up 7-8 hours during peak load and 2-3 hours during off peak, daily. This has been going on since last year.
The Northern Davao Electric Cooperative (NORDECO) apparently failed to prepare for the increase in electricity demand in the area, considering that before the island became a tourist spot, the lack of electricity here was unnoticed.
“And now that Samal Island is frequented by tourists, its peak demand went up from 3 megawatts (MW) to 9MW due to the rise of establishment such as resorts, restaurants and markets.”
The senator noted that Samal Island is connected to the Pantukan Grid via a submarine cable owned by NORDECO.
Presently, the Mindoro Grid Corporation (MGC) can provide 6.962MW electricity in the island while NORDECO can provide 3MW. In total, there is only 6.12MW supply in the island with a demand of 9MW.
Nordeco, formerly known as Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Daneco), has been reportedly criticized by its consumer cooperatives for its failure to provide a stable power supply to its area coverage.
As such, the Senator from Isabela and Davao underscored the need to ensure that there would be a provision in the Power Supply Agreement (PSA) requiring replacement power, through modular gensets, for all power providers to ensure reliable electric service.
He added that the said agreement should also include the requirement for “causer’s pay” clause so the consumers will not be required to pay for gensets. In turn, the party with mistakes are the ones responsible to pay for power service.