Bacolod, NEPC to start underground cabling project

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez and Negros Electric and Power Corporation (NEPC) Chief Operating Officer Engr. Bernard Bailey Del Castillo are set to begin relocating the city’s electrical and telecommunication cables underground.

A statement from NEPC posted on its official social media page Tuesday said, “This strategic move aligns with Mayor Albee’s vision to elevate Bacolod into a ‘world-class Super City.'”

The proposed project entails placing all cables underground along Lacson Street, including telecommunication and NEPC lines.

The implementation will leverage Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) technology, enabling conduit installation with minimal surface disruption, reducing traffic disturbances, and ensuring pedestrian safety.

Mayor Benitez has continuously expressed his displeasure with the current network of overhead cables, often described as “spaghetti wires,” which he finds unsightly.

The underground cabling endeavor aims to rectify this issue and enhance the visual aesthetics of the urban landscape.

Engr. Del Castillo outlined that the forthcoming underground cables will be custom-designed for subterranean settings, offering enhanced heat resistance and waterproofing properties compared to the current above-ground wires.

Despite a marginal increase in cable costs by about 2.5%, the overall expenditure is projected to be approximately tenfold higher than the existing overhead system due to the efficiency of the HDD machine.

Additionally, they aim to synchronize the installation of underground conduits with various telecommunications companies, enabling shared infrastructure usage to minimize expenses for each company.

In preparation for the project, Mayor Benitez and Engr. Del Castillo discussed the necessity of a City Ordinance to establish the project’s legal framework and secure approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

Meanwhile, NEPC has also started clearing operations of tree branches that interrupt power supply from primary lines, causing power outages.

It cleared tree branches touching the primary line along Brgy. Caridad, Bago City.

“Our line clearing team is now in the area to conduct the necessary tree trimming activities and to process immediate power restoration,” the statement said.

As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, NEPC also cleared two out of the five electric posts located in the middle of Luzuriaga Street in the city.

They are working to pull out the remaining electric posts to clear the street for vehicle passage.

Another rotting and leaning electric post in Paglaum Village, Brgy. Mansilingan, Bacolod City, was replaced with a new one by NEPC to ensure the security of passersby and avoid unscheduled brownouts in the area.

NEPC also replaced the distribution transformer in Barangay 35 after what seemed to be an oil leak from the unit that caused a power outage. Power resumed in the area after the replacement.