Excess power supply seen in Mindanao next year

ISABELA CITY, Basilan, Philippines – A bright prospect for the power situation is seen next year in Mindanao after the series of power outages that have kept the region in the dark for several years, Mindanao Development Authority chairperson Luwalhati Antonino said.

“There is a bright signal in 2015 on the power situation in Mindanao because many coal-fired plants will come in,” Antonino said at the sidelines of the Pakarajaan festival celebrating the 40th anniversary of the province on Friday.

Antonino said the opening of the power plants will give a combined 900 megawatts (MW) during the first quarter of 2015.

Among those independent power companies that will begin generating power are Aboitiz with 300 MW, SCC with 405 MW and ALSON with 200 MW, among other companies.

Antonino, however, said the people in Mindanao would for now have to sacrifice further with rotational blackouts because of the huge deficit of power supply.

“There is a huge deficit, equivalent to 200 MW of the Steag Power (plant),” Antonino said, referring to one of the largest power generators in Mindanao.

She added the hydropower plant could not go full blast because of the decreasing water level in the Lanao provinces.

“It has not been raining, that’s why the water in the dam is being controlled in preparation for summer,” Antonino said.

One solution to address the deficiency in power supply for the utilities is to tap the Interim Mindanao Electricity Network (IMEN), Antonino said, citing the excess load of power generators available in shopping malls and other big companies.

She said malls and big business firms have their generators but are not using them because these are too expensive to maintain.

“However, if there are buyers, the deficiency of power supply will be resolved,” Antonino said.

South Cotabato Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez said the two- to three-hour daily blackouts have been taking its toll on the business community in Central Mindanao.

“Some of them are spending much on fuel-fed generators. Daily blackouts have created problems to the businessmen and their businesses,” he said.

Hernandez stressed the need for a congressional inquiry to determine the real cause of the power outages.

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Mujiv Hataman, however, said electricity supply in the island provinces have remained normal compared to the mainland. – Ramil Bajo, Ben Serrano