The relocation of electrical and telecommunication cables underground at Lacson Street in Bacolod City will start soon, Negros Power and Electric Corp. announced Wednesday, August 7.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Engr. Bernard Bailey Del Castillo, Negros Power chief operating officer, have started discussions on the underground cabling initiative.
This strategic move aligns with the mayor’s vision to elevate Bacolod into a “world-class Super City”, a Negros Power press release said.
The proposed project entails the underground placement of all cables along Lacson Street, encompassing telecommunication and Negros Power lines, it said.
The implementation will leverage Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) technology, enabling conduit installation with minimal surface disruption, thereby reducing traffic disturbances and ensuring pedestrian safety, Negros Power said.
Benitez has expressed his displeasure with the current visible network of overhead cables, often described as “spaghetti wires,” which he perceives as unsightly, the press release added.
The underground wiring endeavor aims to rectify this issue and enhance the visual aesthetics of the urban landscape, it said.
Del Castillo said 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 percent, the overall expenditure is projected to be approximately tenfold higher than the existing overhead system, owing to the efficiency of the HDD machine, the press release said.
They aim to synchronize the installation of underground conduits with various telecommunications companies, enabling shared infrastructure usage to minimize expenses for each company, the press release added.
In preparation for the project, Benitez and Del Castillo deliberated on the necessity of a City Ordinance to establish the project’s legal framework and to secure approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission.*