THE Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (Noneco) is set to energize soon Sipaway Island, a tourist attraction off the coast of San Carlos City.
Noneco general manager Dan Pondevilla said the Department of Energy has allotted P45 million for the energization of the island to further boost its tourism potentials.
Currently, Noneco has a generator set at the island which provides only six hours of electricity for its more than 6,000 residents.
The island is known for its white beaches and dive sites and is visited by foreign tourists.
Pondevilla said that after establishing an on-grid line connection to Sipaway, they will transfer the generator set to Molocaboc in Sagay City to temporarily energize the island.
Meanwhile, Pondevilla said that Noneco is in the process of energizing 140 sitios, with additional 288 sitios being earmarked for energization within this year.
“I’m optimistic that by the by the end of 2016, we may able to energize 100 percent of the whole Noneco areas,” he said.
Pondevilla also said the operation of the coal-fired power plant in Cadiz City will not only benefit its member-consumers, but also Noneco, adding that they may no longer source out power outside Negros.
An estimated 100 megawatts is being expected to be derived at the proposed coal-fired power plant in Cadiz City, which is part of Noneco’s franchise area.
By getting power inside its areas, Pondevila said they may no longer pay for line rental, which contributes to higher electric rates, as it is being paid P1.50 per kilowatt hour by electric consumers.
This would mean a reduction of P.45 per kilowatt hour for consumer members if Noneco buys its power from the coal-fired power plant, he said.