Alsons shields Zamboanga City from power outages

MANILA, Philippines — Alsons Power group, Mindanao’s first private sector power generator, said its Western Mindanao power plant was able to shield Zamboanga City from power outages last week.

Alsons said the timely intervention of the Western Mindanao Power Corp. (WMPC) diesel plant spared the city from the worst effects of the massive power outages brought about by the bomb explosion that toppled the tower of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) at Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte last Oct. 24.

The bombing tripped the 138-kilovolt transmission line resulting in widespread power outages throughout the Zamboanga Peninsula, Misamis Occidental, and parts of Lanao del Norte.

Alsons, however, said the increased dispatch to Zamboanga City from the WMPC plant to around 50 megawatts (MW) effectively shielded the city from the blackouts experienced by other cities in the region and nearby areas.

The 100-MW WMPC diesel plant began operating in 1997 and remains to be the only major power facility located in Zamboanga City and the entire Zamboanga Peninsula.

“We at WMPC are always ready to ensure the continuous flow of power to Zamboanga City. In last Monday’s emergency and in other similar transmission incidents, we have consistently been able to respond and provide the people of Zamboanga City with the power they need,” WMPC plant manager Pete Torrejon said.

The Alsons Power group currently has a portfolio of four power facilities with a total generating capacity of 468 MW serving over eight million people in 14 cities and 11 provinces in the country’s second largest island.