MABALACAT CITY — Business leaders have expressed apprehension on the impact to local economy of prolonged power outages in this entire city.
Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Director Rene Romero said that the scheduled 12-hour power interruption this Friday is “concerning”.
This comes at the heels of another 12-hour power service interruption. The PELCO has announced that, together with NGCP, power will be out on January 3 “in all barangays”. The same city-wide blackout is taking place in this northernmost Pampanga city in less than two months. Last November 15, business owners and residents here suffered the same outage.
“The length of the interruption and the wide scope of affected areas are concerning, particularly for the economic and operational impact on businesses and households in Mabalacat (and Magalang),” Romero said in a text message.
This city, a host to Clark Freeport, is one of the prime economic drivers of Pampanga.
Romero also called on these entities to “plan and communicate the (power) interruptions properly or provide solutions to reduce the inconvenience”.
He clarified, however, that improvements in power systems must also be implemented with less disruptions and impact to local business and economy.
“While I understand the need for maintenance and upgrades to ensure long-term power reliability, it’s essential for NGCP and PELCO II to prioritize minimizing disruptions, improving communication, and implementing measures to mitigate the impact,” he said.
Romero, a PamCham director tasked to oversee infrastructure, has underscored the need for a reliable power supply which is crucial to economic growth.
“It’s crucial for them to adopt innovative strategies in the maintainance and expansion of their infrastructure to minimize disruptions to their subscribers. They should always remain sensitive to the needs and challenges faced by their customers, by adopting better planning and communication,” he furthered.
Pelco has given separate reasons for the electric cooperative and NGCP on the scheduled power interruption at the start of 2025. These are:
PELCO II
- Payout of 795MCM ACSR segment of 69kV line in front of Mabiga Substation;
- Payout of 795MCM ACSR segment of 67kV line in front of Sta. Maria Substation;
- Resetting of primary protection of 10
MVA mobile substation; - Replacement of 69k disconnect switch at Mabiga Substation;
- Substation works;
- Metering works;
- 0 & M works; and
- Clearing of lines
NGCP
- Electrical testing of new 69kV power circuit breaker, disconnect switches and earthing switch;
- Commissioning and energization of new 69kV power circuit breaker, disconnect switches and earthing switch at Mexico Substation;
- Testing of feeder protection relays;
- SCADA control integrity test & alarm status validation test for the new power circuit breaker; and
- TL maintenance along the line.
