The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has renewed Cebu I Electric Cooperative Inc.’s (Cebeco I) license to operate mini-hydro plants in Cebu.
The ERC said in a statement that it gave the green light to Cebeco I to operate three mini-hydros in its franchise area for another five years.
These include the 0.50-megawatt Manatayupan plant in Mantayupan, Barili, the 0.50-megawatt Basak facility in Basak, Badian and the 0.72-megawatt Matulinao unit located in Matulinao, Badian, all in the province of Cebu.
The aggregate capacity of the three renewable energy power plants is 1.72 megawatts.
The said mini-hydroelectric power plants are embedded in the distribution system of Cebeco I and thus do not need to pass through the transmission system.
The entire output of these generation plants form a good part of Cebeco I’s supply mix and sold to its member-consumers.
Entities engaged in power generation like Cebeco I are required to secure a certificate of compliace (COC) from the ERC before it can commence commercial operations.
The COC attests the compliance of a generation facility to the environmental, technical and financial standards issued by the ERC.
It also certifies the compliance of the generation plant owner to the market share and cross-ownership limitations set by the ERC to ensure that the electricity consumers are guarded from abuse of market power.
Cebeco I is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative and is the first rural electric cooperative organized in the province of Cebu.
