THE THIN electricity supply in the Visayas will be a “prolonged problem” as the region needs more baseload facilities to complement the growing operations of renewables, according to the energy secretary.
In a media briefing on Monday, June 1, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin said that the Visayas, which currently heavily relies on power imports from Luzon and Mindanao, needs more mid-merit and baseload plants.
The mid-merit capacities would serve as gap fillers, ready to ramp up supply in case electricity fluctuates throughout the day. Baseload power plants, meanwhile, deliver a steady supply of electricity.
She said that while the Visayas has a high rate of renewable energy facilities, such as solar and wind, the amount of electricity they produce is unreliable as they depend on weather conditions.
Building for baseload assets, however, would take three to five years, the official noted.
Garin said the government was now working on injecting more supply to the Visayas grid.
The Visayas region has been facing a thin power supply situation, especially for the month of May, when it was placed under a yellow alert status almost every day.
Yellow alert
On Monday, the Visayas grid was again placed under yellow alert from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. as four coal power plants remained offline.
The DOE said Unit 2 of Kepco SPC Power Corp. would resume operations on June 2, Tuesday. The Unit 3 of Panay Energy Development Corp. would be online by July 3, while the Units 1 and 2 of Therma Visayas Inc. would be operational by August.
Since the start of the year, 20 yellow alerts and 4 red alerts have been raised over the Visayas.
In a yellow alert, the power supply can still meet demand, but it will serve as a warning that when a plant breaks down one way or another, it will result in brownouts. A red alert, meanwhile, means that supply is no longer sufficient to meet demand. Brownouts could happen if demand is not managed. (Lisbet K. Esmael © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
