BARMM electric co-ops assured of enough metering units

MANILA  -Metering challenges due to lack of equipment in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) may soon be addressed, following the National Electrification Administration’s (NEA) tripartite agreement forming a task force ensuring the availability of metering units.

NEA, through administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda, signed the deal last week with electric cooperative (EC) organizations and the BARMM for the provision of 67,300 metering units.

Under the agreement, various EC organizations will provide the kilowatt-hour meters to the Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative Inc. (Lasureco), Maguindanao Electric Cooperative Inc. (Magelco), Sulu Electric Cooperative Inc. (Suleco), Tawi-Tawi Electric Cooperative Inc. (Tawelco) and Basilan Electric Cooperative Inc. (Baselco).

The bulk of the total, or 42,300 units, will be given to Lasureco through five EC associations scattered across the country.

Magelco, meanwhile, will get 19,000 units from Central Visayas Electric Cooperatives Association (Ceveca) and Federation of Rural Electric Cooperatives in Region 8.

Suleco, Tawelco and Baselco will each receive 2,000 units from Ceveca, according to NEA.

This development followed the Department of Energy’s announcement that it was looking into ways to boost the energy sector in BARMM.

Gov’t moves to boost Bangsamoro’s energy sector

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla and Akmad Ibrahim, minister of the BARMM Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (Menre), recently signed a circular outlining the standards for petroleum and coal operations.

Lotilla said Mindanao may be the next “energy resource capital of the Philippines.” INQ

-CSN