State-run National Power Corp. said households in Rizal town, Palawan will now enjoy 24 hours of power supply after the expansion of a diesel power facility.
Napocor said in a statement it expanded by another 300 kilowatts the capacity of the Rizal diesel power plant. Napocor is mandated to provide electricity to missionary or remote areas.
Napocor president Ma. Gladys Cruz-Sta. Rita said the high net reserves of Rizal diesel power plant was the main reason for the extension of service hours.
The state firm said before the additional genset was installed, the Rizal power plant had a dependable capacity of 570 kW and a demand of 337 kW.
“With the new genset, we have put the reserve power at 480 kW, enough to operate at 24 hours,” Sta. Rita said.
The new genset was hauled from Napocor’s warehouse in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan to Palawan.
The municipality of Rizal is becoming popular among local and international tourists. Watersports and trekking are particularly popular in the area aside from swimming in its clear beaches.
The town is also the entrance to the Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape, the highest peak in Palawan.
“An improved tourism industry and local commerce can be expected now that Rizal has 24-hour power supply,” Sta. Rita said.
Napocor also extended 24-hour operations to El Nido, Taytay, San Vicente, Culion in Palawan; Caluya in Antique; and Siasi in Sulu.
Napocor earlier said it was eyeing renewable energy hybrid systems in its missionary electrification program to lower the subsidy rates of the 290 SPUG power plants across the country.
Napocor’s renewable energy program aims to install some 2.7-MW peak of solar projects to hybrid with existing diesel plants in SPUG areas with sizes ranging from 16 kilowatts to 152 kilowatts.
Napocor, the government agency tapped to pursue electrification in far-flung communities and islands in the country under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, vowed to continue adding power capacity to existing SPUGs and new areas.
It targets to complete 116 MW of additional capacity in the next five years to meet the continuously growing demand, increase operating hours of existing plants and ensure sufficient reserve capacity.