NEPC pledges to fix defective system, outlines backup, modernization plans

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY — A top executive of the Negros Electric and Power Corporation (NEPC) admitted that the current network of the distribution utility is riddled with defects that need immediate correction.

NEPC Chief Operations Officer, Engr. Bailey Del Castillo, alongside Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez in a press conference on Tuesday, acknowledged the network’s widespread issues.

“There are so many defects all over the network that we need to correct,” Del Castillo said.

He assured the public that NEPC has a strategic plan to address these defects.

“We now have the data, and soon, we will begin rehabilitation to correct the defects,” he stated.

Del Castillo briefed the mayor on an incident that occurred Wednesday night, which affected more than 40,000 consumers serviced by the Alijis Substation.

“It’s only your first month, and there’s already a brownout. They explained it to me, but we need more details on what happened, why it happened, and how we can prevent it from happening again,” Benitez said.

Del Castillo informed the mayor that the 30/37 MVA power transformer at the Alijis Substation failed due to an internal fault.

“When we further investigated, we found that the transformer had experienced excessive overloading in the past, which shortened its lifespan. It just happened to fail when we took over,” Del Castillo explained.

To address the issue, Del Castillo outlined a three-phase response. The first phase involved the deployment of a 10 MVA Mobile Substation, which was commissioned on Monday after being brought in from Iloilo.

He noted that with the entry of the 10 MVA substation, the manual load dropping and rotational brownouts stopped on Monday.

“The adjacent substations could not accommodate all of the demand from the Alijis substation, which is 32 megawatts,” Del Castillo said.

The second phase, currently in progress, involves commissioning an 18 MVA power transformer, expected to be operational by next week—potentially as early as Sunday. This will add to the capacity provided by the 10 MVA Mobile Substation, bringing the total to 28 MVA.

The third phase involves assembling another power transformer with a 37.5 MVA capacity, to be kept as a spare or contingency for any issues that may arise with the existing substations.

Del Castillo highlighted that seven out of the 11 substations across the franchise area are over 25 years old.

“That is already old. The older it gets, the higher the chances of failure,” he said.

He also mentioned that the situation in the affected area has generally returned to normal, but NEPC is closely monitoring the load and demand.

“If the demand increases, we have a contingency, but generally, it’s normal,” Del Castillo noted.

Mayor Benitez emphasized the need for a modernization program for the old distribution system.

“The reason we invited a new distribution utility is to upgrade or replace the old equipment. If you look at it, seven out of the 11 substations are older than 25 years. It’s just a matter of time before these transformers fail,” he said.

Benitez added that NEPC is scheduled to present its detailed five-year modernization program to the Sanggunian Panlungsod (SP) next week.

“They will outline the modernization efforts they will undertake. Aside from transformers, they will also replace old wires to prevent overloading or breakage. This is all part of a five-year program,” he added.

The mayor further urged NEPC to expedite the replacement of necessary equipment to minimize brownouts.

He mentioned that NEPC plans to invest between P2 billion and P2.5 billion in the modernization program.

“If we replace all 11 substations with brand-new transformers, we’re looking at half a billion pesos. That’s what we would like to see,” Benitez added.

Del Castillo reiterated NEPC’s commitment to upgrading the system and apologized for the recent incident.

“We are not happy with what happened; we are very disappointed. But we are committed to upgrading the system as soon as possible. Right now, we are preparing contingency plans and adding capacity. We assure you that whatever happens to the 11 substations, we have a backup ready. We will present our modernization plan in detail to the SP, and we will have a clear timeline. Bear with us in the next five years, and you will feel the difference,” he said.

As for rates, Del Castillo assured that NEPC is committed to maintaining stable rates over the next two to three years and is working on bringing them down.