Monday, June 16, 2008 Ceneco lauded for 98% electrification By Gil Alfredo B. Severino
PRESIDENTIAL Management Staff director-general Cerge Remonde has lauded the achievements of Central Negros Electric Cooperative Inc. (Ceneco) in hitting 98 percent of its rural electrification program.
In his speech at Ceneco's 33rd annual general membership assembly last Saturday at the West Negros University, Remonde underscored that Ceneco's achievement far outweighed the national average of 96 percent.
"Three more barangays left, most of them located in Don Salvador Benedicto area and Ceneco will achieve 100 percent full electrification of its coverage area," he said as per Ceneco's report.
Aware of Ceneco's 12 percent annual power demand growth, Remonde assured that President Arroyo is committed to develop power projects which will directly augment or solve power shortage in Negros.
"These are the San Carlos and Tamlay bioethanol plants, Nasulo and Mailum geothermal plants, the Kepco-Salcon coal plants, Negros-Panay Interconnections, Panay diesel plants, the Calbayog-Samar and Masbate thermal plants, among others," he said.
"With stable electricity, we can improve our quality of life and develop more projects that open business opportunities, create income because of increase employment," Remonde added.
He also announced that the national government presently has an P80-billion fund for micro-small-medium enterprises, of which Ceneco members are qualified to avail.
Meanwhile, Ceneco president Roberto Montelibano underscored a significant decrease in the cooperative's net losses, recording it at 30 percent due to increase in sales, decrease in systems loss as well as decrease in transmission and distribution expenses.
He said that in 2007, systems loss from operation averaged 11.76 percent, adding it went down to 11.21 percent from January to April 2008 and further to 9.5 percent last month.
"The National Electrification Administration (NEA) ceiling is 14 percent. Ceneco is again better than the national benchmark," Montelibano reported.
He said this is owing to "concerned member-consumers and the skills-enhanced employees working as a better team to implement the measures and ensure the solution to high systems loss."
Ceneco balance sheets on net loss as of December 31, 2007, on the other hand, showed P64,748,643 from 2006's P92,361,516.
"This will improve some more and all because we know the problem and we know what to do," Montelibano said.
