Negros Power promises full re-energization by Tuesday

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By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – Negros Power President and Chief Executive Officer Roel Castro assured that the full reenergization of the area affected by the power transformer failure at the Alijis Substation here is expected by Tuesday.

“The assurance is, if everything goes well, by Tuesday, it will be back to normal,” Castro said in a press conference at the Negros Power office on Saturday evening.

On Wednesday night at around 9 p.m., the 13-year-old 30/37 MegaVolt Amperes (MVA) power transformer at the Alijis Substation failed, affecting its seven feeders and 47,000 consumers.

The transformer was beyond repair, Castro said.

“We don’t want this, nobody wanted this to happen, and we are just human. We can’t avoid feeling bad about the backlash, but we are doing everything we can to address the situation,” Castro added.

He further stated, “This is something unforeseen, but my apologies—no one wanted this.”

To remedy the situation, an 18 MVA transformer is already being assembled at the Alijis Substation for energization on Saturday.

Additionally, a 10 MVA mobile substation from MORE Power in Iloilo arrived at the Alijis Substation this Saturday afternoon and is being prepared for reenergization tests.

Castro said these units will undergo testing, and if nothing goes wrong, the situation will normalize by Tuesday, meaning all seven feeders under the Alijis Substation will be re-energized.

He explained that while the capacity of the failed power transformer was 37 MVA, the demand is 32 MVA.

Therefore, the combined capacity of the 18 MVA transformer and the 10 MVA mobile substation is sufficient to supply the seven feeders.

The balance can be distributed to adjacent substations.

Castro emphasized that if the energization tests of the transformer and the mobile substation go well, all seven feeders will be reenergized, and the power supply situation in the area will normalize by Tuesday.

He also revealed that he took a risk by pulling out the 10 MVA mobile substation from Iloilo to be deployed at the Alijis Substation, even though it should first go through the Energy Regulatory Commission.

“We are thinking of the consumers, and we have to do something to remedy the situation,” Castro said.

He added that they have also increased the manpower working at the Alijis Substation to fast-track everything.

“Bear with us. We are doing everything out of the ordinary. I know that this is not enough explanation, but give us the benefit of the doubt; we are doing all we can,” Castro said.

Castro also met with city officials, Bacolod City Water District (BACIWA), and Prime Water officials, whose operations were also affected.

To alleviate the inconvenience faced by consumers affected by the power supply deficiency at the Alijis Substation, Negros Power provided three generator sets to the pumping stations of BACIWA.

These specific pumping stations, connected to Alijis Feeder 3, lacked power generator sets essential for sustaining the water supply during rotational brownouts.

On his part, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez, in a statement over the weekend, said, “We acknowledge the recent updates from Negros Power regarding their efforts to normalize the power supply to the Alijis Substation. They are targeting to begin restoring service by Monday night at the earliest or Tuesday morning at the latest, with full restoration of the Alijis feeders expected by September 2.”

Benitez said Negros Power has committed to rehabilitating and upgrading the city’s power infrastructure—a crucial step toward ensuring the reliable delivery of electricity to Bacolod City.

The Local Government Unit (LGU) of Bacolod City will continue working closely with Negros Power to implement immediate solutions and ensure long-term infrastructure improvements for the benefit of all residents, he added.

“We appreciate the patience and understanding of our citizens during this time. Rest assured, the city government is doing everything within its capacity to expedite the resolution of these issues and ensure a more reliable power supply for everyone,” Benitez said.