Non-operational plants linked to yellow alert

CEBU, Philippines —  Several non-operational major power plants have contributed to the issuance of a yellow alert in the Visayas power grid, according to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

NGCP said this was one of the reasons it again declared a yellow alert for the Visayas power grid on September 6, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., due to insufficient operating margin in the grid.

Among the major factors was the unavailability of the large coal-fired power plants Therma Visayas, Inc.-1 (TVI-1) in Toledo City, Cebu, and Panay Energy Development Corporation-3 (PEDC-3) in Iloilo City, which reduced the available power supply in the Visayas.

The power supply was also affected by the deration of Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (PCPC), or its operation at a lower capacity than normal, as well as limited power imports from Mindanao.

According to the NGCP, the Visayas had an available capacity of 2,405 megawatts (MW), against an expected peak demand of 2,295 MW.

Aside from TVI-1 and PEDC-3, nine power plants were on forced outage as of September 6. Some plants have also been on forced outage for several months or even years.

Overall, 15 power plants were operating at derated capacities, resulting in a total of 877.5 MW of capacity unavailable to the grid.

The NGCP, in a statement, explained that a yellow alert is issued when the operating margin is insufficient to meet the contingency requirement of the transmission grid.

The public is urged to conserve electricity, particularly during peak hours, to help reduce pressure on the Visayas power grid.

The Visayas grid has been under either yellow or red alert for almost four months.