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The power situation in Cebu will stabilize next week, top power officials assured yesterday.
But between now until June 12, Cebuanos will still experience rotational brownouts.
Ricky Lacson, Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) vice president for administration, said there would be fewer rotation brownouts beginning June 8 due to the additional 50 megawatts from a power plant which had completed its scheduled maintenance.
?That (power plant) will be back on stream,? he said.
?There will still be outages but these will be very minimal,? he said.
Lacson joined other key players in the power sector who met Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to discuss the power problem in Cebu.
Those in attendance in the one-hour meeting included independent power producers and representatives from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
Department of Energy (DOE) regional director Antonio Labios said long term plans are also in place for the expected increase in demand with the start of operations of new power plants in Naga and Toledo cities which could bring at least 200 MW to Cebu province.
Lacson urged the public to conserve energy.
Governor Garcia said she told IPPs and other power players to coordinate the scheduled maintenance of power plants among themselves so there will be enough power supply.
Garcia also urged huge companies capable of generating their own power to help by using their own facilities so that smaller companies will be able to use the available supply.
?There have been more and more companies that have pledged to join the voluntary (power shedding scheme),? she added.
In Cebu City, the council wants officials of the DOE, Veco and all Cebu City-based IPPs to appear in Wedneday?s session of the City Council to shed light on the power situation in the city.
Cebu City Councilors Gerardo Carillo and Sylvan Jakosalem asked the City Council Secretary Jose Marie Poblete to invite DOE and power producers to appear before the council to discuss the rotating brownouts.
In a separate resolution, Councilor Nestor Archival urged the DOE to intensify its campaign on energy conservation and efficiency and explore use of clean and renewable energy as a means to cushion the power crisis.
Archival said that renewable energy such as wind, solar and wastewater residuals constantly replenish on their own, unlike fossil fuels.
The Mactan Electric Company (Meco) has also started implementing a rotation brownout of at least one hour in its franchise area.
Engr. Eddie Plando, head of the technical services division, said that demand for power increased by 11 percent during the summer months.
However, they cannot get additional power from the NGCP.
Meco needs close to 50 MW daily. The company, which operates a total of six feeders, supplies power to the Mactan Island.
Its daily demand is 42 MW and it doubles during peak hours like 10 a.m., noon and 7p.m.
?We have rotating brownouts schedule in the city in order to support the power supply in other areas. Sometimes the NGCP asks 10 MW but we can only give them 7 or 8 MW,? Engr. Tolentino of Meco said.
