ERC ok’s BOHECO II to build

New substation in Getafe

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, May 31 (PIA)—Concerned over the incessant low voltage delivered by local utility in key industrial development areas in Bohol, Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado succeeds in convincing the government to allow Bohol Electric Cooperative II (BOHECO II) to use its capital expenditure budget to build a substation that can rectify the problem that has ruined appliances in Buenavista and Getafe.

It is positive, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has told us that they would allow BOHECO II to build a substation, so that there is voltage correction and the low voltage issue would be solved, the governor said recently.

At present, BOHECO II keeps a 10 megavolt ampere (10 MVA) substation in Trinidad which supplies the power requirements of Talibon, Getafe and Buenavista.

As Getafe and Buenavista sits at the farthest end of the line supplied by Trinidad Substation, a simulation result of Trinidad Feeders 1 and 2, using the Distribution System Applied software, showed that that the voltage profile at the electrically farthest point of the distribution line is already degraded, a BOHECO study which it used to support its development plans for 2016-2025 stated.

For this, BOHECO proposed two alternatives: an additional substation in San Jose Getafe, with lot acquisition which included the installation of 5MVA power substation, the construction of 22.71 km of 69KV sub transmission Trinidad Substation to the new substation and the site procurement which could reach P227M based on their 10 year development plan in 2016.

The second alternative is to put up an additional 5MVA Substation at Poblacion,Getafe and 29.21km of 69kilovolts (KV Line) from Trinidad substation which could cost P255 million with lot acquisition.

Both alternatives are in the BOHECO II capital expenditures, but have not been implemented yet.

With the installation of a new substation, the power quality problem of the said feeder would be solved and power supply reliability in the area in case the adjacent substation conducts preventive maintenance or vise-versa, can be assured.

For the governor, a reliable power supply in Getafe and Buenavista could elevate Bohol’s competitiveness in attracting spill-over investments from Cebu.

Recently, a ship-building company located its boat-building and repair hub in Buenavista, but the problem of low voltage could drive the investors away.

For this, the governor visited the ERC in his latest Manila sortie, to plead the case of BOHECO 2 and set up the necessary facility for Getafe and Buenavista, to rectify the low power load distributed.

“We talked with Engr. Alvin Jones M. Ortega, Chief Energy Regulation Officer Tariffs and Rates Division and Engr. Legardio Galang, Jr., director III aqd Officer-in-Charge of the Regulatory Operations Service, for the purpose.

By law, the is responsible for shaping and implementing standards, rules and policies and regulations that affects the electric power industry as well as guide the Commission on what to do and implement the adopted policies and principles of energy regulation.

“We shared the problem of low or shortage of unstable power, to which many residents have complained.

At present, Boheco II has ac 5 MVA Garcia Hernandez Substation, 5MVA Guindulman Substation, 5MVA Alicia Substation, 10MVA Trinidad Substation, 5MVA Imelda Substation and 5 MVA Mahayag Substation.

These substations are connected to the two 100-MVA transmission Substations at the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines in Imelda Ubay and Sambog, Corella. (PIABohol)

INLCUSIVE GROWTH. Putting a power substation in Getafe would rectify the low voltage issue that consumers in the two towns are now complaining, according to BOHECO II 10 year development plan. (PIABohol)