Mindanao power crisis easing - DOE

MANILA, Philippines - The power supply situation in Mindanao has improved following the completion of the repair of a key hydropower plant ahead of schedule, the Department of Energy (DOE) said yesterday.

It said no rotating brownouts have occurred in the past two days but the situation remains critical as there is no reserve power.

“We have received reports indicating that there are no more rotating blackouts in Mindanao for the past two days.” DOE Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said.

State-run National Power Corp. (Napocor) completed the emergency repair of the Pulangi IV hydropower plant in Bukidnon on May 8, or nine days ahead of the original target date of May 17.

The hydropower facility is now adding 200 megawatts (MW) to the Mindanao grid, the DOE said.

However, Almendras said while the situation in the area has improved, the power situation is still at a critical level.

“I must insist that the power supply in Mindanao is still critical as there are no contingency reserves,” Almendras said.

“Thus, in the event of a failure in any of the power generation equipment, this will automatically result to a shortfall and blackouts,” he added.

On May 9, there was a 197-MW deficit in Mindanao, which needs 1,276 MW during peak hours, data from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines showed.

But this is lower than the previous months’ supply gap of 360 MW, which resulted in two to four hours of blackouts since January

“We must continue to acknowledge the urgency of increasing the generation capacity in Mindanao,” Almendras said.

To solve the power supply concerns, the DOE recommends the resumption of operations and rehabilitation of the 100-MW Iligan diesel power plant; the rehabilitation and transfer of 120-MW of privately-owned power barges; and the transfer to Mindanao of the 96 MW of power barges presently operated by Napocor.

“We must accelerate new power generation projects, both traditional and renewable energies,” Almendras added.

Since 2010, the DOE has been warning that Mindanao needs additional baseload generating capacity through private investor participation.

But the DOE said there were delays in securing permits from local government units. For instance, Aboitiz Power Corp., Sarangani Energy Corp., and San Miguel Corp. are planning to put up coal-fired power plants in Mindanao but these plans were opposed by host communities amid environmental concerns.

“We appeal to everyone to allow these initiatives to be started and accelerated as soon as possible,” Almendras said.