ILOILO City – The Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, Inc. (ILED) commissioned a foreign power consulting firm to study the electricity distribution services of Panay Electric Company (PECO).
Singapore-based WSP, one of the largest global engineering and professional services consultancy, is expected to come up with a technical assessment in two to three months.
ILED is a nonprofit, private sector-led organization.
According to Narzalina Lim, president of ILED, results of the study will be made public and also submitted to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Legislative Franchises.
PECO’s franchise is expiring in 2019. It seeks to renew it for 25 more years.
Lim said WSP was asked to come up with an independent evaluation of PECO’s system configuration for a more efficient design; determine strategic investments based on important recommendations; and explore industry updates for competitive distribution services.
Starting today, a WSP technical support team will check PECO’s facilities, among others.
PECO assured ILEDF of cooperation, according to Lim.
This was not the first time WSP assessed PECO. In 2010 when then known as Parsons Brinckerhoff (before becoming a wholly owned independent subsidiary of WSP Global in 2014), it was also tapped by ILED to study PECO’s operation and services and came out with recommendations.
Now, Lim said, WSP would check, among others, if PECO was indeed able to apply the recommendations of the 2010 study.
The recommendations included the following:
* reconfiguration of PECO’s distribution network (to open ring configuration with strategically located switches for smooth load transfers between feeders)
* installation of recloser or circuit-breakers with reclosing capabilities in all existing distribution feeders from the primary substation
* adherence to vegetation clearance standards
The study, Lim said, should result to productive discussions on the gaps in PECO’s service and technical capacities.
ILEDF recently organized a roundtable discussion with stakeholders from the business sector, city residents and government institutions to identify major concerns and problems with encountered with PECO services.
According to Lim, the results of the new study may help the House committee on legislative franchises in making a decision on PECO’s application for franchise renewal.
“We don’t take sides. Whatever the outcome of the study, we will share it,” said Lim.
Late last year, over 25,000 city residents signed a petition opposing PECO’s franchise renewal application.
They accused PECO of overbilling and poor customer service and called for a government takeover of the power distribution service in Iloilo City./PN
