September 21, 2018 | 12:01 am
PRIVATE Electric Power Operators
Association (PEPOA), an umbrella organization of private power distributors,
has opposed the franchise application of a new industry player in Iloilo City.
In a statement, the group warned
that a power crisis could occur in the city and nearby towns if the franchise
of utility operator Panay Electric Co. (PECO) is not renewed and given instead
to an applicant. The organization said the applicant had yet to put up the
needed infrastructure for electric distribution utility in the area. It said
PECO had been operating in Iloilo City for nearly a century.
PEPOA said its members were “shocked
to learn of the hasty approval of the franchise application” of More Minerals
Corp. (MMC) to the detriment of the incumbent power distribution utility PECO.
It quoted a letter it had sent to a legislator as saying: “This development is
deeply concerning to us as it puts a highly urbanized city like Iloilo at
risk.”
PEPOA President Ranulfo M. Ocampo
said MMC is a mining company and does not have the technical capability to
operate and maintain a power distribution utility.
“Even if MMC were to change its
primary purpose into power distribution, no company can get the required
experience and qualifications in just a few days,” Mr. Ocampo said, adding that
PECO is among the top 15% in terms of positive reliability performance compared
to the other 146 electric distribution utilities in the country.
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