VECO readies for APEC meetings in Cebu
To ensure uninterrupted power supply during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Cebu City, the Visayan Electric Company Inc. (VECO) came up with preventive measures coupled with procedures on immediate restoration of power for unfores
VECO had long fully set its preparations for this historical event after Metro Cebu was selected to be one of the host cities in the country for this year’s APEC meetings.
Some of the utility’s preventive measures include clearing of distribution line hazards, such as objects and vegetation on the critical components of line facilities, and exemption of the APEC participating venues from rotational brownouts should there be power shortage warning from National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
“VECO is always ready and prepared in case of uncertainties not just for APEC meetings but for all other significant events in our service area,” Engr. Noel Modesto, head of VECO’s Engineering Technical Support.
VECO will also issue advisories on natural calamities and Grid disturbances through NGCP. It is constantly monitoring other related warnings.
The utility will also ensure that planned outages are well coordinated to exclude those areas included in the APEC Summit visits. Likewise, it will periodically assess contingency teams and plans to make sure the procedures are still feasible for implementation.
Its Key Account Representatives are having close coordination with the Hotel APEC Hubs, such as the Radisson Blu Hotel, Waterfront Hotel and Marco Polo Hotel, in order to make sure of the reliability of the hotels’ connection points to VECO. The hotel list where the APEC delegates will be staying will also be relayed to VECO by the Cebu Provincial Government to ensure the reliability of their connections to the utility.
VECO continues to conduct regular maintenance of its line facilities and constant clearing vegetation to prevent from line failures. Contingency teams are also prepared and ready to answer for any emergency power interruptions and other related situations detrimental to the success of APEC events.
The utility recognizes the significance of this event as this would entice more investments for Cebu, hence strengthening the local economy of the communities VECO serves.