TAGBILARAN CITY, July 7 — Governor Edgar Chatto ordered the convening of the Bohol Energy Development Advisory Group (BEDAG) on Friday to find ways in solving the power crisis gripping the island province.
Bohol lost its power supply after a massive 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Eastern Visayas on Thursday. The province is sourcing its power from Leyte via an Ormoc-Maasin 138kv line.
As of this writing, there is no clear indication when the power will be restored in the 47 towns and one city of Bohol province.
Personnel from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines in Bohol and representatives from the electric utility companies here explained the situation to acting provincial administrator lawyer Mitchel John Boiser, who convened the BEDAG on the marching orders of the governor.
The BEDAG is the advisory group in charge for the power sector here in Bohol.
The governor is currently in Canada attending the convention of the largest Boholano group in North America.
In a live video feed from Canada, the governor assured the people of Bohol that everything was being done to restore the power soonest.
Bohol is almost entirely dependent on Leyte for its power needs. There have been times the circuit coming from Leyte tripped causing massive blackouts.
This time, however, there was no reported damage to the power connection between Bohol and Leyte. It is just there is no power being generated to flow through the circuits.
Bohol has hydroelectric plants, but without outside power, these facilities cannot fully function. The power supplied by three hydroelectric plants – about seven megawatts – is insufficient for the needs of the entire province.
This early, several measures are being eyed to remedy the situation.
One solution is to by-pass the connection to Leyte and directly connect to Cebu or probably Luzon. However, this may take some time to implement.
Another option is to use some power barges. As of this writing, the regulatory actions and paperwork are being expedited as the situation is critical.
Save for some areas in the city, Tagbilaran on Thursday night was in total darkness as street lamps and traffic lights were inoperable due to lack of power.
Some folks lined up in gas stations to store to get fuel, while others bought candles for their homes. (Dave Albarado/PNA)
