The 20MVA (megavolt amperes) power substation of CAPELCO in Roxas City is still inoperational.
Engr. Edgar Diaz, general manager of Capiz Electric Cooperative Inc. (CAPELCO) told HilwayNews today the transformer facility is intended for the SM mall in Roxas City.
“But obviously the delay in completion of the mall due to the COVID-19 restrictions has affected our timeline as well,” GM Diaz said.
The transformer is located near the new building of CAPELCO head office in Roxas City. GM Diaz disclosed that CAPELCO has relocated last February 2, 2020 from Panit-an town.
“It is practical for our head office to transfer here considering that some 50,000 of our concessionaires are in Roxas City,” explained GM Diaz.
CAPELCO has a total of 162,542 power concessionaires in Capiz as of July 10, 2020. GM Diaz said that so far the power interruptions here have remained minimal during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The coop charges its residential consumers P9.36 per kilowatt hour. CAPELCO has an average consumption of 50 megawatts sourced mainly from the Palimpinon geothermal plant in Negros Oriental.
GM Diaz said that CAPELCO also draws some 8 megawatts from a coal plant in Iloilo and sometimes the WESM (wholesale electricity spot market) is being tapped for reserve and the remainder of its power requirements.
CAPELCO has a personnel complement of 317 including those doing maintenance jobs. But there were occasions when incidental works have been outsouced, GM Diaz noted.
On his 23 years at CAPELCO, Engr. Edgar Diaz stands out among the longest-serving general managers of electric cooperatives in the Philippines.
He rose from the ranks and is one of the two electric coop GMs in Panay, the other being ANTECO’s general manager Ludovico Lim who are professional Electrical Engineers.*
