by
Vic Larato
ZAMBOANGA CITY, May 14, (PIA) - - “The rehabilitation of the Pulangi 4 hydroelectric
power plant in Bukidnon has finally been completed, and was initialing
supplying 200 megawatts of its 255-MW installed capacity to the entire Mindanao
grid as of last week,” announced Energy Undersecretary Josefina Asirit during a
dialogue initiated recently by Mayor Celso Lobregat in City Hall in a bid to
address the many problems arising from the power crisis that hit Mindanao since
January.
Asirit, a lawyer, said the rehabilitation,
which cost the state-run National Power Corp. P11 million, was completed days
ahead of the original target date of May 17.
“You are better off now with Pulangi plant
plus the onset on the rainy season. That’s why you no longer experience
rotational blackouts starting today,” Atty. Asirit told the power stakeholders
attending the dialogue at City Hall conference room.
Jesus Castro, project supervisor of the
Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Zamceclo), explained that the re-operation
of Pulangi hydro-plant significantly reduces the duration of the brownouts in
the city from 8-9 hours daily last month to probably 1 hr, and if the city’s
energy demand stabilizes with the 18MW contracted power from the Therma Marine,
Inc. , he projected with confidence that starting next month of June and
onwards there will be no more rotational brownout in Zamboanga.
Lobregat said the dialogue was an offshoot
of a series of meetings here and the energy summit in Davao last April 13 in
the hope of finding short, medium and long-term solutions to the energy
situations not only in Mindanao but also in Zamboanga City.- (JPA/VL/CIO/PIA9-ZBST)
