A province-wide, 12-hour blackout is set today starting at 6 am as power is expected to be restored by 6 pm, according to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
Consumers of the Bohol Electric Cooperative 1 and 2 (BOHECO 1 and 2) and Bohol Light Company Inc. (BLCI) are affected by the longer-than-usual power interruption.
The NGCP said that the Maasin-Ubay 138 kilovolt line is going to be shut down for the safety of the company’s workers.
The workers are installing the pilot wires on newly-constructed permanent towers nos. 39 and 40 at Pres. Carlos P. Garcia and Ubay towns respectively, the NGCP adds.
Moreover, the NGCP earlier said that it aims to complete the installation of the permanent special towers by April 2022.
The permanent special towers, which allow the linkage of the line from Leyte to Ubay, were toppled due to strong winds brought by typhoon Odette back in December 2021.
In order to deliver power from the geothermal power plants in Leyte, the NGCP installed temporary towers which were completed in Feb. 2022.
The temporary towers allowed the passage of electricity supply from Leyte to Bohol, NGCP spokesperson Betty Martinez said.
Prior to the installation of the temporary power, Bohol distribution utilities, BOHECO 1 and 2 and BLCI were getting their electricity from Power Barge 104 and the Bohol Diesel Power Plant, which provides more expensive power compared to the geothermal power sources in Tongonan, Leyte, according to representatives of the electrical supply firms in Bohol in several media engagements in the past.
