Wednesday, January 17, 2007 Asin hydros resume operation
THE OPERATION of the Asin mini hydroelectric power plants resumes Wednesday after local officials of Tuba allowed the Baguio City Government to operate the plants while the equipment lent by Hydroelectric Development Corporation (Hedcor) are set to arrive Wednesday.
City Administrator Peter Fianza said the City is now processing its business permit from Tuba and its permit from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
The management committee (Mancom) is also awaiting the draft contract from the Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) of the terms on its purchase of power generated from the plants.
After the Mancom's approval, this will be forwarded to the City Council for concurrence.
The power plants were shutdown December 26 because of some repairs that needed to be undertaken before the operations' resumption.
This however resulted to losses on the part of the City Government. Since it shutdown last December 26, the City is reportedly losing P100,000 daily.
Despite the resumption of operation, Fianza said it still would not be smooth-sailing for the City, as P2-million would have to be shelled out as capital outlay or expenses needed to ensure the continuous operation of the power plants. These include the purchase of oil for the operation of the generators, communication gadgets, service vehicle, and motorcycle, as well as the payment of salaries of displaced Hedcor employees. (RO)
