NPC said it will rent from GE Energy Rentals a 15-megawatt modular-type diesel generating set for US$3.4 million over a one-year period.

The genset will be deployed to the power firm’s Irawan substation in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

On the other hand, AIPP will lease out to NPC its 10-MW generator for the Panitan substation in Capiz, Panay; also for a one-year period. The contract cost was placed at $2.4 million.

Under their respective contracts, both the generator sets are required to be commissioned on or before March 7, 2004.

The gensets will initially meet the capacity demand in both areas; where shortfall of supply have already been prevailing; particularly in Capiz.

The rentals of gensets have been resorted to as a "quick fix" solution by the government to ease the occurrence of rotating brownouts in said areas; which have been causing inconvenience to public and economic losses to businesses.

The government has lined up several measures to avert an impending power shortage in the Visayas; including Capiz but more of these are still forthcoming.

At present, Palawan has a power supply of 39.4 MW, of which only 26.5 MW are dependable due to line constraints.

With the GE Energy Rental genset directly connected to the Irawan substation, NPC will be able to avoid these line constraints and thus make the entire 15-MW capacity of the generator dependable.

GE Energy Rentals was created in 1999 by its mother firm, GE Energy, in response to growing demand for temporary distributed power in the commercial, industrial, and oil and gas markets.

AIPP, meanwhile, is the rental unit of Aggreko, which handles multimegawatt temporary power projects worldwide. It boasts of having the most extensive fleet of containerised generators, load banks, transformers and ancillary equipment, AIPP operates in 27 countries around the world. (MMV)