NewsRecord Weekly Publication

February 8-20, 2015

NONECO gets electricity deal 

for Sipaway

The Nothern Negros Electric Cooperative (NONECO) will get Php 45 M from the Department of Energy for Sipaway Island,  San Carlos City’s major tourist attraction.
NONECO  General Manager Dan Pondevilla said this project will further boost the tourism industry in the island composed of two barangays with close to 6,000 inhabitants and several foreigners who own resorts.

As of press time, NONECO provides Sipaway Island with a generator set to give houses and a few establishments with a six-hour electricity rations. 
However, the situation will improve in a year’s time, Pondevilla said, when the project will have been finished and the island will have electricity for 24 hours, seven days a week.
The project will involve establishing an on-grid line connection to Sipaway Island. Then, NONECO will transfer the island’s present generator to Molocaboc in Sagay City to temporarily electrify the area.
NONECO now covers San Carlos City to EB Magalona and is now providing electricity to almost all barangays. 
A hundred and forty sitios are now electrified under its sitio electrification program and 288 more will be provided electricity within 2015.
Pondevilla added that it is NONECO’s goal to achieve 100 percent of its area by the end of 2016.
Coal-fired power plant
Meanwhile, the Cadiz City coal-fired power plant is expected to produce 100 megawatts. The general manager added that this development will surely benefit both NONECO  and its member-consumers since there is no more need to source power outside of Negros Island. 
This could translate to consumer’s savings of about Php 0.45 per kilowatt hour when NONECO no longer pays rent for the line its uses to transmit energy for outside sources. 
Presently, consumers pay Php 1.50 per kilowatt hour, a relatively higher rate compared to the rates in other areas because of the extra expenses of renting lines. 
In addition, NONECO also reported that its systems loss has gone down to nine percent from 18 percent in 2013. Its collection efficiency has increased from 95 to 112 percent in less than one year. 
Source: www.sancarloscity.org