5-YEAR REHAB PLAN UNFOLDS: NEPC installs wires, equipment to curb power interruptions

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – The Negros Electric and Power Corporation (Negros Power) has started installing tree wires, new pin insulators, and cross arms along Burgos Street under Burgos Feeder 3 in Bacolod City.

This line upgrading is part of NEPC’s five-year rehabilitation and modernization plan, aimed at preventing unexpected widespread power interruptions and ensuring a more reliable electricity distribution system, according to a press statement posted on its official social media page over the weekend.

As part of immediate solutions, Negros Power plans to gradually replace old and substandard porcelain insulators with polymer insulators, which are more durable. The replacements will target the Bacolod-Silay 69-kilovolt (KV) subtransmission line, which is already 44 years old.

The Bacolod-Silay subtransmission line was inherited by the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) from the National Transmission Corporation in 1980.

Engr. Leomel Tambanillo, NEPC’s spokesperson, described the line as “extremely outdated.” He said the porcelain insulators, which are often responsible for widespread unscheduled power interruptions, must be replaced.

Tambanillo noted that since NEPC began operations in August 2024, there have been no fewer than 10 incidents of insulator breakdowns due to their age and substandard quality.

He added that the Bacolod-Silay subtransmission line spans 30 kilometers and passes through sugarcane fields, making access and repairs difficult. The line delivers electricity from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to three substations: Talisay, Panaogao, and Lopez Substations.

On Nov. 13, 2024, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez and NEPC President and CEO Roel Castro led the groundbreaking ceremony for the underground power distribution system project at Capitol Lagoon in Bacolod City.

The event was attended by officials, including Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry Executive Officer Frank Carbon, CENECO Board President Dwight Carbon, Bacolod Representative Greg Gasataya, Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, and city councilors Celia Flor, Thaddeus Sayson, Em Ang, Kalaw Puentevella, Vladi Gonzales, and Jason Villarosa, along with NEPC Chief Operations Officer Engr. Bernard Bailey del Castillo.

The project launch took place three days after NEPC received its Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from the Energy Regulatory Commission, officially taking over as the distribution utility for Central Negros on Nov. 11, 2024.

Castro explained that the underground distribution system will initially cover one kilometer of the six-kilometer stretch of Lacson Street. He emphasized that underground systems improve safety by reducing exposure to external elements and enhance reliability for consumers.

The underground distribution system is part of NEPC’s PHP 2-billion rehabilitation plan, with its initial phase costing PHP 79 million.

Project bidding will begin next month, with completion targeted before the MassKara Festival next year.