NEA seals deal for add’l ‘free’ 2-month power supply for Occidental Mindoro

Amid the long power outages being experienced in Occidental Mindoro province, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) on Thursday said it has sealed a deal for a two-month additional power supply for the province that will be subsidized by the government.

In a statement, the NEA said starting April 29, residents of Occidental Mindoro will get an additional six to seven hours of electricity per day in the next two months after it secured an agreement with Power Systems Inc. (PSI) to operate a power plant in San Jose town.

The said power plant, which the NEA will operate pursuant to its deal with PSI, has a dependable capacity of five to six megawatts (MW).

The agency said the cost of leasing and operating PSI's power plant for two months "will not be passed on to the consumers" and will serve as "a matter of subsidy from the national government."

"NEA will cover the cost of operation for the first two months, that is the help we'll get from the national government in the person of President Bongbong Marcos," NEA Administrator Antonio Almeda said.

The NEA said leasing PSI's power plant is only one of the measures undertaken by Almeda to resolve the power crisis in Occidental Mindoro.

The NEA chief has also requested DMCI Power Corporation (DPC) to immediately supply power to the Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc. (OMECO) after the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Certificate of Exemption from the conduct of the Competitive Selection Process (COE-CSP) for the negotiated procurement of 17 MW Emergency Power Supply Agreement (EPSA).

"The DMCI promised to roll out 10 MW in a matter of 30 days and the 7 MW in two months," Almeda said.

The EPSA would last until March 31, 2024, which would give OMECO time to conclude its Competitive Selection Process to procure power for its long-term energy requirements.

The NEA added that two units of diesel generator sets — at two MW per unit — in the possession of electric cooperatives (ECs) in Region VIII have been assessed and are in the process of being shipped to Occidental Mindoro. These generator sets are intended to supply additional electricity to some vital services in the province such as hospitals and schools.

It said that another two units of diesel generator sets — at 2 MW per unit — are currently being assessed, and put in reserve in case needed.

“The NEA will continue to lead the government's action in addressing the power supply problem in Occidental Mindoro,” NEA said. —Ted Cordero/KBK, GMA Integrated News