Anticipating the boom and the ripple effect of the soaring tourism in Central Philippines, especially in Bohol, President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo told Boholanos about a threatening power crunch here upon the full operation of the Panglao Bohol International Airport (PBIA).
The President personally led the capsule-laying of another government legacy project: the multi-billion peso airport in Panglao May 20, 2008.
The airport, designed to be upgradeable to international capacity lumps an integrated transport support facility, which would need additional 20 megawatts of power, would further reduce Bohol’s depleted reserves when it becomes operational by April 2010.
In her speech during a brief program after the ground-breaking ceremonies, the President relayed her concern of the need to add more power to Bohol to sustain its industries.
Again in her speech before the opening of the Cabinet Meeting an hour later, PGMA reiterated her call as she revealed the plan to review the expansion of generating facilities and transmission lines to get Visayan regions through an electricity crunch expected next year and establish adequate reserves in 2010.
But even before the president identified Bohol’s looming power crisis, development planners and local leaders have endorsed to the Central Visayas Regional Development Council (RDC) a proposal to uprate the current 100 megawatts supplied by the Tongonan Leyte-Bohol Power Interconnection Project (LBPIP).
The RDC has recently endorsed to the National Transmission Corporation (Transco) to make a feasibility study and asked it to fund an additional 100 megawatts from LBPIP.
According to sources from local power companies, Bohol’s current peak power demand is about 65 megawatts while the present Leyte-Bohol Power Interconnection Project delivers only 100 megawatts leaving only 35 megawatts of reserves.
Over this, President Arroyo cited a present 6% raise in annual demand for power here in the last three years.
The RDC endorsed the proposal of increasing the LBIP load to ensure adequate and reliable power supply here while effectively putting up support for various local agro-industrial establishments which require additional short-term power supply.
The Transco however has not released any official action on the proposal.
Over all these, the president underscored the pressing need to increase Bohol power demand as quickly to add to Bohol power reserves.
To get the government to formally act on the matter, the President said that provision of adequate and reliable but cheap power to the Visayas and the country was one of the agenda for the NEDA Cluster Cabinet meeting, which the president is heading immediately after the airport ceremonies. (rachiu/PIA)
