Tuesday, August 21, 2007 Power coop checks on power meters, runs after pilferers
THE Kalinga-Apayao Electric Cooperative (Kaelco) is conducting massive monitoring of power meters in households and intensified apprehension against power pilferers in its coverage area to help cut down on system loss.
Kaelco Member Service Division chief Cliford Alunday said a yearly system loss is incurred because of electric power pilferage and is getting much subsidy from the financial resources of the cooperative.
In June alone, Alunday said system loss incurred by the cooperative was placed at 17.20 percent or a 3.20-percent over the ceiling. A total amount of P361,384.38 of system loss has to be paid through Kaelco's subsidy to the National Power Corporation (Napocor) since it surpassed the tolerable 14 percent system loss cap.
"This means that Kaelco lost 249,350.55 kilowatt/hour (kwh) to pilferers or roughly P1.9 million. The monthly subsidy should have been used to maintain power lines and electrify off-grid barangays," he said.
To curb this perennial problem, Kaelco is conducting massive inspection of household meters to check who are stealing power through "jumper" and illegal connection. It is also replacing its KWHR meters with electronic meters since the new technology is difficult to manipulate and can be easily detected if tampered.
Alunday said a clustering of meters is also considered to establish a one-stop-shop monthly reading, billing and collection. "Besides putting meters in one place, neighborhood consumers can watch who among them are doing illegal acts," he said.
Aside from meter clustering, the Kaelco management wants meters to be placed on electric poles for collectors to maximize their time and can issue promptly power bill accounts.
"It is time consuming when collectors have to visit many times households that are fenced and when homeowners are not present during reading and collection time since their meters are placed inside their compounds," Alunday explained.
To show Kaelco's serious campaign against pilferage, Alunday said a team was organized to apprehend pilferers. He said for the past seven years, a total of 354 pilferers were apprehended.
Except for a single conviction in 1996, no one was ever tried in court since pilferers settle their cases amicably with the Kaelco management, he said.
Meanwhile, Kaelco manager Corazon Tomas said developing renewable energy sources to generate power would also redound to lower power rate as these are excluded from value-added tax.
She said 63 barangays are fully energized from the main grid while 86 percent of barangays in the entire province get their power from renewable energy.
In its bid to fully electrify the province of Kalinga, Kaelco is continuing on its collaboration with local government units to meet halfway with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and other funding donors for the pooling of resources.
Pasil Mayor James Edduba expressed his full support to the electrification of his municipality from the main grid even as they are also developing run-off water sources to generate power.
"We hope the establishment of mini-hydro power plants in Pasil will be realized soon in order to have our own source of power," Tomas said.
He said 35 households in Belong-Manubal in Tinglayan were recently energized by Kaelco's power grids while Basao and Tulgao are scheduled for electrification this year. She said a survey is being conducted to establish cost estimates in order to look for funding sources from the host local government units and national energy counterparts.
Also being worked out are the Barangays of Cagaluan in Pasiland and Buaya and Maling in Balbalan.
"Hopefully if there are no calamities to come, their electrification would be completed within this year," Tomas said, adding that posts were already delivered on site. These three barangays are recipient of NEA subsidy.
Tomas also said Kaelco asked NEA for financial assistance to settle its backlog in collection. Eighty-eight of the 119 electric cooperatives nationwide are perennial losers, registering negative performances through the years.
"We will also ask for additional support from Apec representatives in Congress for the completion of Kaelco building," Tomas said.
