DAVAO CITY – The Northern Davao Electric Cooperative Inc. (Nordeco) said it remains focused in resolving the issue of power interruptions in the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) in Davao del Norte province that has been the subject of complaints from local government officials and member-consumer-owners.
Igacos, two kilometers east of this city, has been suffering from rotational brownouts and higher rates after a submarine cable connected to the grid via the Davao Light and Power Corp.’s transmission network was damaged on Christmas Day last year.
Rather than reconnecting to the grid, the cooperative has since been depending on the Mindoro Grid Corp. through the Igacos Light and Power Co. that deployed generators to power the island.
Nordeco officer-in-charge Elvera Alngog said that the old submarine cable is no longer efficient to use but the ultimate solution to the problem is reconnect it to the grid. Repairing it, she said, will only cost P10 million.
“We are asking the member-consumer-owners to bear with us this time. Nordeco is doing all the best it can to resolve the problem. Hopefully, by March and April, if we can connect the submarine cable to the grid, we will have stable power in Samal,” Alngog said.
Regarding the high power rates, Alngog attributed such concern to the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management for allegedly giving Davao Light and Power Co. a sizable portion of its power in the Agus and Pulangi power complexes.
Jeorge Rapista, legal counsel for Nordeco, said that the cooperative respects concerns raised by the local government units and member-consumer-owners. Rapista disputed their claim that service is poor, saying this is unfair on the part of the cooperative.
Rapista said Nordeco does not set the electricity rate in its franchise areas. He added that the rate has remained constant since 2012 and that other variables such as the rise in gasoline and crude oil costs also contribute to the increase in power rates.
The old submarine cable is being replaced by a 14.7-kilometer one that will connect Barangay Aundanao in Igacos to the Pantukan grid for a total cost of P1.1 billion, Alngog said.
The cooperative has laid the cables and that the project will be fully operational by March or April this year, she added.