Napocor hires 32-MW power barge to provide add’l power in Visayas

The National Power Corp. (Napocor) commissioned yesterday a 32-megawattt (MW) power barge in Iloilo in an effort to alleviate an impending power shortage in the Cebu-Negros-Panay (CNP) grid.

"The government has vowed to address the increasing power demand in the Visayas and will exert all efforts to ensure that economic progress will not be hampered by lack of electricity," Energy Secretary Vincent S. Perez said.

He said the operation of Power Barge 102 is expected to boost the dependable capacity of the CNP grid by 28 MW. The grid has a present total capacity of 472 MW, barely enough to service the peak demand at 474 MW.

Perez added that PB 102 is the latest step in government’s over-all efforts to avert a possible power shortage in the CNP grid.

Following President Arroyo’s directive to address the short and long term solution power requirements in the Visayas, particularly in the CNP grid, Napocor started works on the P629-million Dingle diesel power plant in Iloilo and installed a 10-MW modular-type diesel generator for the Panitan substation in Capiz, Panay last March.

Energy giant Mirant Global Philippines Inc. has likewise inaugurated its 42-MW power generating capacity expansion program in Panay Island last January. The expansion program consists of a 20-MW generating facility in Iloilo and another 22-MW diesel power plant in Aklan and Capiz.

Two other Mirant projects, with a combined capacity of 12.5 MW, broke ground in Aklan last month. Once completed in July, the 7.5-MW Nabas and the five-MW New Washington plants are also expected to help stabilize the power situation in the area.

The 7.5-MW power plant will be used to power various establishments and residential areas on the island of Boracay, a world class tourist destination, while the five-MW facility will provide electricity to other municipalities in Aklan including Kalibo, another tourist destination known for its yearly Ati-atihan festival.

The barge will be moored in Bgy. Obrero, Iloilo City, alongside the 32-MW PB 104. Napocor plans to operate PB 102 on a round-the-clock basis to further strengthen the grid’s available reserves.

The government is optimistic that the CNP grid will have an additional dependable capacity of 84 MW by June, and 134 MW by December once all of the immediate and short-term projects for the grid are completed. For instance, all eight diesel generator sets of the Dingle II power project are expected to be operational by end-December, raising prospects of an additional 110 MW for the grid.