3 Cebu hydro plants secure regulator’s nod

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has allowed three eco-friendly hydroelectric power facilities in Cebu to continue operating—a move that can help increase the use of renewable energy sources in the country.

According to ERC, it renewed the certificates of compliance (COC) of three mini-hydroelectric power plants of Cebu I Electric Cooperative Inc. (Cebeco I) for another five years, having found the facilities to be compliant with technical, financial and environmental standards specified in the ERC guidelines.

The ERC also certifies the compliance of the owner of the generation plants to the market share and cross-ownership limitations set by the regulator to ensure that electricity consumers are guarded against abuse of market power.

Before the COC was issued, the ERC also ascertained that Cebeco I complied with the Philippine Grid and Distribution Code, the wholesale electricity spot market rules, environmental and other applicable laws.

The ERC enforces strict conformity to all requirements to ensure that the generating plants are reliable and will produce sustainable electricity.

“The ERC is glad that Cebeco I has kept its renewable energy (RE) resources in tip-top condition. This firms up the goal of our government to make RE a significant portion of the country’s energy mix. The ERC urges distribution utilities to maintain and continue to expand their available RE resources,” said ERC chairperson and CEO Zenaida G. Cruz-Ducut.

Cebeco I’s power facilities include the 0.50-megawatt Manatayupan facility in Mantayupan, Barili; the 0.50-MW Basak hydro plant in Basak, Badian; and the 0.72-MW Matulinao hydroplant located in Matulinao, Badian.

The aggregate capacity of the three renewable energy power plants is 1.72 MW.

The mini-hydroelectric power facilities are embedded in the distribution system of the electric cooperative and thus, would not need to pass through the transmission system.

The entire output of these generation facilities forms the bulk of the cooperative’s supply mix.

Cebeco I is a nonstock, nonprofit electric cooperative and is the first rural electric cooperative organized in the province of Cebu.

It was registered with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) in 1972 and was granted a franchise to operate for a period of 50 years by the National Electrification Commission (NEC) in 1980.