DOE acknowledges Siquijor power supply problem

The power supply woes affecting the island of Siquijor has apparently reached the Department of Energy (DOE).

- By CALVIN CORDOVA

Days after a state of calamity was declared in the province for recurring blackouts, the DOE acknowledged that there is an urgent need for coordinated and sustained action to address the island's worsening power outage that lasts four to six hours a day.

Even before the declaration of the state of calamity, the DOE said it had conducted site inspection and coordination meeting from May 6 to 7, where it was confirmed that technical, operational, and regulatory problems have been hampering the delivery of reliable electricity in Siquijor.

The agency noted that the Siquijor Island Power Corp. (Sipcor) has an installed capacity of 11.580 megawatts (MW) but only 8.816 MW is currently contracted to the Provincial Electric Cooperative of Siquijor (Prosielco).