Amid continued efforts to restore power supply in off-grid areas, the National Power Corp. (NPC) inaugurated an 80 kilowatts (kw) diesel power plant in Palawan.
NPC said the power facility in Panlaitan Island in Busuanga’s current capacity is on its initial phase and can provide power for up to 350 households.
The newly-inaugurated diesel power plant can supply electricity to the island for eight hours daily and will be maintained by two local operators who will be reporting to NPC while the distribution function is being handled by the Busuanga Island Electric Cooperative.
As of Tuesday, from 87 affected power plants of NPC affected by Typhoon Odette in off-grid areas under its Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG), 72 are fully operational.
NPC said seven SPUG plants from Palawan, Bohol, Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Norte are still on standby while eight more off-grid power plants from Palawan and Bohol are still undergoing assessment and restoration.
NPC is mandated to provide power generation and associated power delivery systems via SPUG power plants to islands and communities that are not connected to the main transmission grid.
Currently, it operates 278 SPUG plants in 189 municipalities across 35 provinces in the country.
NPC is also tasked to oversee watersheds and locate indigenous sources of power. – Jed Macapagal
