On May 15, 2007, Rodson F. Mayor and Florencio T. Miraflores, congressman of the lone district of Aklan, filed Civil Case No. 7385, which resulted in a TRO forcing the Aklan Electric Cooperative, Akelco, to stop getting power of the Nabas Power Plant (13.5 MW), operated by Avon River Power Holdings Corporation, formerly Mirant. Akelco filed shortly thereafter a motion dismiss Civil Court Case No. 7385 at the Regional Trial Court in Kalibo.

The power plant in Nabas was inaugurated a couple of years ago by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as a remedy for Boracays electric power woes. The motion of Akelco was denied by the RTC Kalibo. On July 3, 2007, Akelco suspended getting power from the Nabas power plant and warned Boracays electricity consumers to expect low voltage and frequent brownouts, due to lack of electricity from the Visayan main grid.

Boracays electricity woes are going back many years and the status of electricity supply is still critical and often sub-standard. The problem is addressed, but moving at snail pace, while electricity demand is steadily getting higher. From February till April 2007, Boracays two underwater electricity cables were hit by several barges, and repair has only been accomplished in middle of June. The shut-down of the power plant in Nabas is another blow for the development of Boracay Island.

The BCCI Newsletter team asked Sylvia Quinesio, HR Manager, Akelco, on the status of repair and the future electricity supply for Boracay.

Have the two underwater cables been repaired?

Both, the old and the new cables, are now completely repaired. The 20M cost that we were referring to before is a quotation of one of the contractors who offered to repair the cable but we were able to find a contractor who will repair the cables at 4.2 million only. That's the one we got. To safeguard the cable lines, it was buried 1 meter deep and 100 meters away from the shoreline.

What is the status of Transco’s high voltage cables and the substation here on the island?

Transco's 69 KV overhead transmission line from the tapping point in Caticlan to the cable terminal station in Tabon, Nabas is already 85% accomplished. The 69 KV submarine cables are 100% complete up to the Cable Terminal Station (CTS) in Tambisaan, Manoc-Manoc, and Boracay. With regards to the construction of the 30 MW sub-station in Boracay, the Tripartite Agreement between the LGU Malay, Transco and AKELCO has already been signed by the Mayor of Malay. It has been endorsed to the SB of Malay for approval. All equipment, supplies and materials for the purpose are now on site. We are just waiting for the permits.  We have already paid the necessary permit fee for the fencing of the area and the construction of the sub-station. The engineering department is expected to start the construction by July 2007. The maximum time of construction is three months so we are hoping to finish this September so that when peak season comes in December, we are prepared to provide the necessary power requirement of the island.

Meaning, Akelco can provide enough electricity for the coming peak season? 

Once the substation is energized, it is more than enough to support the power requirements of the island right now and for at least five more years. The existence of the sub station right in the island will solve the low voltage problem and likewise reduce our system's loss which will result to a lower power bill. We can provide quality and reliable power to all our consumers in the island.

What is going on with the Power Plant in Nabas?

We have stopped getting power from the Nabas power plant as our Motion for Reconsideration has been denied by the RTC Kalibo. Boracay will be badly affected by this development: The Island will suffer low voltage and we will live by the power available to us by NPC. Expect brownouts to increase, if we have to make ‘scheduled brownouts’ due to lack of power reaching Aklan. We have now filed a Petition for Prohibition and Certiorari before the Court of Appeals. This will, however, take some time.