ISABELA CITY, Basilan, Aug. 30 (PIA) –  The Governor Jim Salliman of Basilan province, has urged the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to improve the Basilan Electric Cooperative (BASELCO) lines and reduce power outages in the provincial area.

In a recent meeting, Governor Salliman and Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda of NEA discussed ways to rehabilitate BASELCOs power lines for better service.

In light of the repeated power interruptions in the province, Governor Salliman has emphasized the criticality of improving the power lines and providing better service to the Basileños. He has recognized the adverse impact of power cuts on day-to-day life and the importance of reliable electricity supply for provincial development.

To help address this concern, the authorities identified several steps such as a timely conduct of the Competitive Selection Process (CSP) for a new power supply that is capable of operating both in synchronized or island mode operation to replace aged-NPC-DPP. Diversity of sources to ensure stability and redundancy in power supply with renewable energy (RE) sources is being considered.

In addition,  seeking support from NEA and concerned stakeholders is needed in order to be able to allocate funds for the rehabilitation and construction of the backbone 3-phase distribution lines and acquiring the Right of Way for the project.

The authorities also discussed how they could draw lessons from other island electric cooperatives (ECs) that have new power providers other than NPC.

Moreover, by segregating the system's loss according to technical and non-technical losses in BASELCOs distribution system, they can provide a comprehensive solution to address the challenges. This approach could provide savings up to Php 500,000 per month with every one percent (1%) reduction of system's loss. This strategy could help to address the solvency and liquidity of the cooperative.

Currently, the BASELCO has outstanding debt with National Power Corporation (NPC) with a total of Php3.3-billion. Therefore, addressing these issues is critical for the sustainability and growth of the power supply in Basilan.

With the NEA's support, Gov. Salliman and all other government officials believe that they can improve the power supply in Basilan, make it more efficient, and meet the needs of its residents. (NBE/NDR-PIA Basilan with reports from Richard G. Falcatan and photos from Christopher Rey Diaz )