The Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) is set to acquire the P40-million Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) industrial automation system software to improve the overall efficiency of power distribution and provide consistent and stable integrated grid operation.
PALECO board chair Jeffrey Tan-Endriga said Thursday that Phase 1 of the SCADA project will be rolled out with the approval of their loan by the Rural Electrification Financing Corporation (REFC) recently.
The SCADA control system, he explained, is important in improving PALECO’s power outage management as it could send notifications almost instantly whenever problems occur in the distribution.
He said the project scope could reach Phase 5, but Phase 1 can already help in monitoring distribution lines and the flow of electricity in the system.
“Malaki kasi ang scope ng SCADA at aabot ‘yon ng Phase 5 pero ang uunahin lang muna natin ay Phase 1 na kung saan ay imo-monitor natin ang ating linya. Pangalawa, makikita na natin ang flow ng power sa energy system natin para makita kung sinasagad ba ng isang planta ang kanyang units. Instead na magkaroon pa ng buffer, dahil mamo-monitor na natin, ma-o-orderan na nating ‘yong planta na ibaba nila at kung tataas man ang deman ay masundan ito,” he said.
Endriga added further that monitoring is key in all areas of the power system’s generation, transmission, and distribution.
Previously, PALECO project supervisor and acting general manager Nelson Lalas also said they are also prioritizing the construction of five mega volt-ampere power substations for the northern and southern portions of Puerto Princesa City.
Lalas said the construction of additional facilities will materialize after they have already complied with the requirements of their loan for the Capex.
The budget to be spent for the acquisition of SCADA will come from the approved loan of PALECO to REFC.
The applied loan is within the capital expenditure (Capex) that was approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in December 2018.
The regulatory commission approved P1.082 billion out of the power firm’s proposed P1.161 billion for its 2017 to 2021 Capex.
