A P40 million industrial control systems software called Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and the construction of five mega volt-ampere power substations for the northern and southern portions of Puerto Princesa City are on top of the shopping list of the Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO).
Engr. Nelson Lalas, PALECO project supervisor and acting general manager (PS/AGM), said the procurement of the equipment and construction of additional facilities will materialize after they have already complied with the requirements of their loan for the capital expenditure (Capex) in the Rural Electrification Financing Corporation (REFC).
“Sa ngayon we were informed by the REFC na ang ating applied loan ay naaprubahan na at meron lang certain requirements that possibly by next week ay mase-settle na ito. With that we can already start to have the procurement of these priority projects,” Lalas said in a PALECO video post on Wednesday, July 17.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved only P1.082 billion of the power firm’s proposed P1.161 billion for its 2017 to 2021 Capex.
The SCADA gathers and analyzes real-time data to speed up electricity resumption during outages.
The equipment also monitors the quality of the power from the providers and all other aspects of system improvement, Lalas added.
He added that the substation constructions will help the far-flung areas so the city can have dedicated lines which will be no longer connected to other areas.
“We have to prioritize what is important and impact projects of the cooperative so that hindi lahat ng loan ay kukunin na pero kung ano lang ‘yong babayaran ng ating kooperatiba ang siyang lang magiging loan,” he said.
PALECO is also a member of the REFC which they filed an application for the loan of CAPEX.
With the expected release of its loan, the electric cooperative is optimistic that it can now finally upgrade its distribution lines, he also said.
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