TACLOBAN CITY — Government funding has been secured for the construction of a 69-kilovolt (kV) sub-transmission line in Guiuan, a project expected to improve electricity reliability in the southern municipalities of Eastern Samar.
The funding was facilitated by House Minority Floor Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan and Eastern Samar Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales, in coordination with the Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative Inc.(Esamelco).
According to Esamelco, the new sub-transmission line will support the planned 20-megavolt ampere (MVA) substation in Guiuan and is expected to provide a more stable and reliable power supply to communities in the southern part of the province.
For decades, residents in these areas have experienced unstable electricity due to their distance from existing substations and their location at the far end of the province’s power grid.
Esamelco General Manager Jose Michael Edwin Amancio said the project responds to a long-standing appeal from residents of Guiuan and nearby towns.
“This project is the fulfillment of a decades-long plea from the residents of Guiuan. Guiuananons have long endured fluctuating voltage and appliance-damaging power surges because they are at the tail end of the province’s power grid,” Amancio said.
He added that a more reliable power supply could help encourage business activity and support the municipality’s tourism industry.
The electric cooperative also assured its member-consumer-owners that the project will not result in an increase in electricity rates, noting that the infrastructure project will be funded through government support.
Esamelco said the funding will provide critical power infrastructure that would have been difficult for the cooperative to finance using its internal resources alone.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
