Visayas, Luzon can share power in case of shortage

CEBU, Philippines - Even at the height of the recent power supply shortage in Visayas, electric cooperatives and distribution utilities can still deliver power to household consumers by getting power from Luzon using a submarine cable, said the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

NGCP president Henry Sy, Jr., in a statement sent to The FREEMAN, said that grid connection has its advantages as they can import supply from Luzon if there is a supply deficiency in the Visayas.

“Our customers are also able to enjoy lower generation charges because grid connection makes it possible for them to get electricity from cheaper energy sources, including the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market,” said Sy.

Sy said that when power is made possible by grid connection, power sourcing is not limited to a single supplier.

He said that limited sourcing of electricity from only one or two generation companies leads to high generation cost because of the captive nature of the market.

“Connecting to the grid gives the customers the option to negotiate better prices from a larger pool of suppliers. In case one supplier breaks down, alternative power sources may be available from the WESM of the High Voltage Direct Cable. We are giving customers the power of choice,” Sy further stated.

It can be recalled that the Visayas grid went on “red alert” in May 19 until May 22 due to generation deficiency caused by the emergency shutdown of three power plants.  A total of 200 megawatts generation capacity was lost from the grid then.

However, grid-connected electric cooperatives and distribution utilities did not experience rotating brownouts and outages as the situation was addressed by NGCP’s HVDC submarine cable.

NGCP said that the submarine cable connecting the Luzon and Visayas grid allowed power flow to and from the two island groups and brought in excess power supply from Luzon to improve the supply situation in the Visayas.

During that period of power shortage, the Visayan Electric Company likewise implemented their Interruptible Load Program so that rotational brownouts did not happen within its franchise area.

NGCP is a privately-owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining and developing the country’s power grid.

NGCP transmits high-voltage electricity through power superhighways that include the interconnected system of transmission lines, towers, substations, and related assets.  (FREEMAN)