BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – Good news!
The power reserve in the Visayas has increased by 493 megawatts (MW).
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) forecasted yesterday that Visayas’ total peak demand is projected at 2,243 MW while its generating capacity stands at 2,736 MW, indicating an increase of 493 MW power reserves.
In its power situation outlook yesterday, March 5, the power transmission operator noted the evening peak demand in the Visayas is also projected to reach 2,137MW with an available generating capacity of 2,606.08MW or a 469.08 MW operating margin on Tuesday morning.
This, as the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the power situation in Panay Island will likely improve in less than a month.
“The Panay grid will be strengthened upon the completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay (CNP) transmission upgrade by the end of March,” the DOE said in a statement.
The regular maintenance shutdown of the Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (PCPC) will be completed by the end of March, the energy department said.
“The Department of Energy (DOE) emphasizes the need for generators, distribution utilities, and the system operator to continue cooperating to maintain the grid’s stability and quickly recover from any power interruption,” it added.
The DOE urged the public to practice energy conservation while waiting for the completion of the transmission upgrade and maintenance of PCPC.
Last March 1, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said it monitored the unplanned shutdown of Units 1, 2, and 3 of Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) with a total power of 316 megawatts.
The NGCP also said the unplanned shutdown of PEDC’s units and the maintenance shutdown of Palm Concepcion Coal Power Plant (135MW) caused the massive blackout that lasted for about three hours.
In the statement, the DOE said that Panay Island is powered by four (4) large coal power plants with a total capacity of 451 megawatts (MW) and nine smaller diesel/bunker and renewable with a total capacity of 220.3 MW.
The large coal power plants consist of three (3) units of Panay Energy Development Corporation (PEDC) and one (1) unit of Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (PCPC).
Aside from generators on the island, 180 MW can be drawn from Negros to Panay through a submarine cable. The total demand for Panay Island is below 400 MW.
Currently, one of the large coal power plants, PCPC, is under regular maintenance shutdown until March 30, 2024.
“By the end of March, the Panay grid will be strengthened by the completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay transmission upgrade, and the PCPC regular maintenance shutdown will be finished,” the DOE said.
The energy department called for cooperation among the generators, distribution utility, and the system operator in Panay.
It also calls for energy conservation while NGCP awaits the completion of the transmission upgrade and maintenance of PCPC by the end of March.
Panay Island alone has more than 400 megawatts of power supply while the demand is around 420 megawatts, according to the energy department./PN
