ILOILO City – Panay Electric Company (PECO) looks forward to knowing the results of the new assessment that Singapore-based consultancy WSP would come up regarding its operation.
But according to Mikel Afzelius, PECO corporate communications officer, the recommendations “dapat feasible sya kag doable, especially for the city of Iloilo considering that the Philippines is a developing country.”
The Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, Inc. (ILED), a nonprofit, private sector-led organization, commissioned WPS, a global engineering and professional services consultancy, to do the study.
According to Afzelius, previous recommendations of WPS (in 2010 then known as Parsons Brinckerhoff) were implemented by PECO and these helped improve the power distributor’s service.
It was also ILED which commissioned the study.
Among others, said Afzelius, back in 2010 “gin-recommend nila nga i-change ang distribution network sang PECO, especially sa 69kv nga line and sa primary line naton para flexible.”
Parsons Brinckerhoff also recommended tie-up lines to better address power outages.
“Gin-implement namon amat-amat,” said Afzelius.
The 2010 study and recommendations improved PECO “in terms of power reliability,” he stressed.
For the 2018 study, WPS is expected to come up with a technical assessment in two to three months.
According to Narzalina Lim, chairperson (not president as previously reported) of ILED, results of the study will be made public and also submitted to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Legislative Franchises.
PECO’s franchise is expiring in 2019. It seeks to renew it for 25 more years.
The results of the new study may help the House committee in making a decision on PECO’s application for franchise renewal, said Lim.
The recommendations in 2010 study included the following:
* reconfiguration of PECO’s distribution network (to open ring configuration with strategically located switches for smooth load transfers between feeders)
* installation of recloser or circuit-breakers with reclosing capabilities in all existing distribution feeders from the primary substation
* adherence to vegetation clearance standards
The new study, Lim said, should result to productive discussions on the gaps in PECO’s service and technical capacities.
ILEDF recently organized a roundtable discussion with stakeholders from the business sector, city residents and government institutions to identify major concerns and problems with encountered with PECO services./PN
