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[av_heading heading=’Win opposes Visayas’ energy spot market’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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Sunday, June 18, 2017
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BACOLOD City – Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian has expressed opposition to the proposed energy spot market in the Visayas, saying it is not a viable measure to address the oversupply of solar power in Negros Island.
Speaking at the Philippine Councilors League meeting here on Thursday, the chairman of committee on energy said he disagrees to the creation of spot markets for different islands.
With the capacity of about 12,000 megawatts, the country is only a small market thus, one grid system is actually a more flexible system, Gatchalian added.
“Splitting the market will surely limit our choices,” the senator said, adding that one advantage of having unified spot market is flexibility.
The senator noted that having only one spot market allows selling of power from Negros to other areas in Visayas, Luzon and Mindanao.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, author of the Renewable Energy Act, had earlier said they were urging the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) to hasten its transmission expansion program.
Zubiri said this would allow full interconnections among the regions in the Visayas necessary for the creation of an energy spot market.
This is separate from the Wholesale Energy Spot Market, which may have higher cost of power depending on the existing supply and demand.
“Negros Occidental currently has overcapacity of solar power as it is producing more than its consumption requirement. Having no capability of exporting electricity yet, many of these renewable energy resources are lost,” Zubiri added.
For his part, Gatchalian said the only problem was transmission, which would hinder “delivery” of excess power from Negros to other areas in the country.
He said they had also been pushing the NGCP to upgrade its lines, which were inadequate and small, adding that from 69 kilovolts (kV), it should be upgraded to 250kV.
“We will probably conduct a hearing on the matter, and we will invite Negrenses to attend,” Gatchalian said. (PNA)
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