Antique: Power has been restored in the franchise area of the Antique Electric Cooperative (Anteco), covering 537 barangays in the province, after the onslaught of two typhoons. ‘We had quite a difficulty in accessing remote barangays because of the landslides and floods, especially during Tropical Cyclone Tino,’ Anteco general manager Neal Peter Ve±egas said in an interview on Wednesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Anteco troubleshooters immediately began the restoration on Nov. 4 and brought back power in the town proper and nearby barangays of the 18 municipalities. The electric utility, based on assessment, incurred about PHP2 million in damage after several of its posts were hit by fallen trees, and the wiring was cut by the strong wind.

Meanwhile, Ve±egas reminded households in Antique to minimize their use of power as the holidays are fast approaching. ‘Christmas lights may be switched off when no longer needed,’ he said. Air-conditioning units may also be minimized since it is already cold, and other unnecessary appliances switched off.

He said that the power demand usually increases during Christmastime, reaching up to 30 megawatts for Antique. With the increased demand from other electric cooperatives, it is expected to affect the prices of power at the wholesale electricity spot market (WESM). ‘The cost of power could increase to as much as PHP10 to PHP15 per kilowatt hour at the WESM if there is a high demand,’ he said, adding that such hike would result in Anteco adjusting its electricity rate.