(Photo courtesy of PNA)
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) has intensified vegetation clearing and firebreak construction near power distribution facilities to protect electrical infrastructure from possible forest fires during the anticipated El Niño.
Beneco General Manager Melchor Licoben said Thursday, October 22, that the cooperative has begun removing vegetation and creating safe distances between power lines, trees, and grass to minimize fire-related damage.
“Nagsimula na tayong magpa-vegetation, naglalagay ng distances at gaps mula sa mga damuhan at mga puno para kapag nagkaroon ng sunog hindi maapektuhan ang mga linya ng kuryente,” Licoben said.
Beneco currently serves more than 250,000 electricity connections across Baguio City and 13 municipalities in Benguet.
Licoben explained that El Niño is not expected to directly disrupt the cooperative’s distribution operations unless its electricity supplier fails to deliver sufficient power.
“We do not produce electricity, but we are a recipient of electricity which we distribute to the consumers,” he said.
Should supply become insufficient, Beneco may purchase additional electricity from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), where prices fluctuate depending on market conditions.
Licoben said the cooperative’s 15-year power supply agreement helps ensure stable electricity costs, with contracted power priced at approximately Php 6 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
He added that electricity rates are around Php 9.60 per kWh for commercial consumers and Php 11 per kWh for residential consumers, compared with a passed-on rate of Php 15 per kWh.
The Beneco official also warned that rising temperatures during El Niño could increase electricity consumption, urging households and businesses to conserve power.
Meanwhile, the cooperative is pursuing additional power generation projects to strengthen long-term energy security.
Licoben said an existing power plant in Buguias, Benguet, is producing approximately five megawatts of electricity.
Beneco has also secured an energy permit for four proposed hydropower plants with a combined capacity of 70 megawatts, alongside a planned 10-megawatt solar power facility in Tuba, Benguet.
The projects are intended to help meet growing electricity demand and improve supply reliability for consumers in Baguio City and Benguet.
