Damage to a 15 MVA power transformer at the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative Victorias substation plunged 30,000 households into darkness in EB Magalona, Victorias and portions of Manapla at 5:50 a.m. Tuesday but 90 percent of the power had been restored as of Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 16, NONECO manager Wilbe Bilbao said.
He said they had restored power to EB Magalona, Victorias and Manapla but there were isolated areas still without power as of late Wednesday.
Bilbao said NONECO resorted to four remedies: tapping two megawatts of power from the Negros Electric and Power Corp. for EB Magalona that was energized at 1:10 p.m. Wednesday and tapping 2 MWs of power from a substation in Manapla for Victorias;
Also ongoing was the installation of a 10 MVA power transformer at the Victorias substation, which they borrowed from the Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative. Also set to be delivered this week is the 15 MVA transformer from NONECO’s Victorias substation that busted last year and underwent repair, Bilbao said.
The 15 MVA transformer that busted this week in Victorias was the one NONECO borrowed from Central Negros Electric Cooperative last year when the three LGUs were also hit with power outages.
MALACON ANGRY
EB Magalona Mayor Marvin Malacon slammed NONECO for failing to buy a new power transformer for the Victorias substation that experienced the same problem last year and for relying on the one they borrowed from CENECO.
In a letter to then NONECO OIC General Manager Dorothy Evangelista, on February 23 this year, Malacon pointed out that in September 2023 the 15 MVA Transformer in the Victorias City substation malfunctioned causing a blackout in his town for five days.
Luckily Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez facilitated the borrowing of a 15 MVA Substation transformer from CENECO, he said.
“I would like to inquire from your good office if the damaged unit was already repaired, and in case, anytime the borrowed transformer gets into trouble, or will be taken back by CENECO, do we have a spare unit to replace it?” Malacon asked in his letter.
He also told NONECO that they did not want to encounter again the same long blackout, as it hampers business operations and causes inconvenience to the lives of the Saraviahanons.
Malacon, at a press conference on Wednesday, slammed NONECO for failing to act on his letter then.
If NONECO cannot solve the problem it would be better to privatize the cooperative, Malacon said.
They said power would be fully restored in two weeks to the areas affected, he said.
“We need an explanation and assurance from them that this will not happen again,” he said.
They should have had a spare transformer in place, he said.
Malacon said EB Magalona has two generators for the town proper and he will buy generators to be placed in barangay halls for charging purposes if power is not restored to remote areas in two weeks.
Bilbao said he was appointed general manager of NONECO three months ago. He said he will look for the letter of Malacon an act on it.
IN VICTORIAS
Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said portions of Victorias, including Canetown and the upland areas, still had no power.
They were waiting for the Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval to use 2.5 MW from Victorias Milling Co. to power up Canetown and some other areas, Benitez said.
Benitez said he has called NONECO‘s attention on the problem because power security is vital to development in the area.
The fixing of the old NONECO transformer should have been quicker and the protection mechanisms that were supposed to be put in place failed, Benitez said.*