Tulfo wants end to brownouts in Samal
Senator Raffy Tulfo is calling for the investigation of the Northern Davao Electric Cooperative (NORDECO) following the power outages in the Island Garden City of Samal, which is now under a state of calamity.
“Sunod -sunod na energy crisis na ang nararanasan sa ating bansa. Matapos sa Occidental Mindoro at Panay Island, ngayon naman sa Samal Island!” he said.
“Sa darating na hearing sa Committee on Energy sa Miyerkules, May 24, 2023, tatalakayin ang usapin hinggil sa energy crisis sa Samal Island at pananagutin ang may kapabayaan at mahanapan ng pangmatagalang solusyon.
On average, the power outage in the area lasts up seven to eight hours during peak load and two to three hours during off peak, daily. This has been going on since last year.
NORDECO has been accused of failing 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 like resorts, restaurants and markets.
Samal Island is connected to the Pantukan Grid via a submarine cable owned by NORDECO. The antiquated submarine cable was installed in 1980s or 43 years ago, and it can no longer cover the entire capacity of the island.
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.
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.
