Cebu, Visayas have stable supply of power for next 2-3 years, VECO says

By Fayette C. Ri�en

Friday 6th of July 2012

CEBU CITY, July 6 (PIA) -- A power executive echoed the assurance of the Department of Energy (DOE) 7 that Cebu and the rest of the Visayas will have stable supply of power within the next two to three years.

Sebastian Lacson, senior vice president and chief operating officer of the Visayas Electric Company (VECO) in a media forum this morning assuaged fears that brownouts would occur due to insufficient power supply.

“Cebu and even the rest of the Visayas Region need not fear of prolonged brownouts because our baseload supply of power is quite stable within the next two to three years,” said Lacson.

DOE 7 Engr. Antonio Labios previously gave the assurance that Cebu’s power supply is good and stable until 2015.

But like Labios, Lacson said Cebu and the Visayas needs additional power plants to accommodate the increasing demand of a growing business community and rising needs of an increasing population.

Labios previously said that Cebu needs additional power plants by 2015 in order to cater to the growing demands of a thriving business sector and a rising population in Cebu,

Lacson however, said the additional power plants may not be built in Cebu but may be located in another area within the Visayas region.

“We look at the distribution of power supply in three mini-grids which are Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” said Lacson, adding that the construction of additional power plants in any location in the Visayas will benefit Cebu and any added power plant here will also benefit the Visayas.

Energy Usec. Josefina Patricia Magpale-Asirit in a visit to Cebu last March said the Visays grid has a total of 83 MW surplus of its 1,843 MW available capacity. This is due to the 610 megawatts added to the Visayas grid last year, she added.

Although in the DOE Power Development Plan, the grid would need 100 MW additional power supply by 2015, Asirit said there power projects are expected to be coming on line during different years and from various sources. (PIA-Cebu)