BACOLOD City – Soon, Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC) will take over as the new power distribution utility in the franchise areas of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) as provided for in the joint venture agreement (JVA) of Ceneco and Primelectric Holdings Inc. But there are processes that must be followed, and these may take time.
The JVA aims to improve power distribution service in Ceneco’s franchise areas of Bacolod City, Bago City, Talisay City, and Silay City and the municipalities of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto, all in Negros Occidental.
Roel Castro, president and chief executive officer of Primelectric/NEPC, told the media there are procedures to follow before the joint venture company NEPC can take over.
A series of plebiscites ratifying the JVA was held recently. Majority of Ceneco’s member-consumers voted in favor of the agreement.
What should happen next?
Castro said the National Electrification Administration must proclaim the JVA, followed by a “period protest” where challenges – if there are any – to the plebiscite’s result may be filed.
NEPC will start operating after securing a franchise from Congress and a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity which is a license issued by the Energy Regulatory Commission.
Ascertaining the exact date of when NEPEC would start working is difficult, said Castro.
The franchise application, he clarified, “will (still) go through the Lower House of Congress, Senate, and the Office of the President.”
Castro assured Ceneco stakeholders that the JVA was designed to benefit consumers.
He also said it would meet the conditions set by Bacolod City’s Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez – use renewable power, cheaper rates, and better service.
“Assuming that there is already a takeover, do not expect there won’t be brownouts anymore. We have to do the improvements first. The rehabilitation and modernization will be carried out within five years,” Castro explained.
As of now, Primelectric/NEPC is having a series of meetings with Ceneco managers and employees to ensure a seamless transition./PN
