NGCP calls for holistic approach to Panay Island power supply issues
MANILA, Philippines — The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) on Friday refuted the allegations of neglecting its responsibility to stabilize the transmission system on Panay Island which led to a large-scale power outage in parts of Western Visayas this week.
In a statement addressing the Panay generation failure, the NGCP stressed that it is mandated to "transmit power from producers to grid-connected areas to the country."
“As the transmission service provider, NGCP can only give an overview of the current supply and demand situation and endeavor to dispatch any and all available power. It cannot intervene on matters concerning power generation,” it said.
The power grid concessionaire explained that it did not see any transmission disturbance before the PEDC Unit tripped and several power plants later tripped "inexplicably."
"Data from our system shows no abnormality in voltage and system stability," NGCP said.
It decried critics who suggested that it failed in its obligation to stabilize the transmission system as it emphasized that it took actions within its protocols.
"We also take exception to the allegations that we were less than transparent in providing information to the public. We provide regular updates to all stakeholders, including the media and government units (LGUS), through print, radio, broadcast, social media, and text blasts," the power grid concessionaire said.
The NGCP also said that the ongoing power interruption should not be exploited for personal or political motives and called on the government and concerned agencies to provide solution for the power issue.
"Rather than using NGCP as a scapegoat, we urge policymakers to be objective in their search for facts and not coddle certain sectors. This is not a time to push personal or political agendas, but a time for honest-to-goodness solution finding," NGCP said.
"We again reiterate our push for a comprehensive industry-wide approach to resolve the persistent power supply issues on Panay Island and elsewhere in the country," it pointed out.
The statement of the power grid concessionaire was issued after the Department of Energy (DOE) called out the power grid concessionaire in separate statements on Wednesday and Friday.
In the January 3 statement, the DOE said that the NGCP has the responsibility of balancing the power grid and should have anticipated the power disturbance.
"NGCP is in a position to anticipate system disturbance such as what happened yesterday, which unfortunately resulted in the isolation of Panay from the rest of the Visayas grid due to the simultaneous tripping of power plants that caused multiple power interruption affecting other power plants and distribution utilities," DOE Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said in a January 3 statement.
In the January 5 statement, on the other hand, the DOE then reminded the NGCP to implement the Transmission Development Plan to “ensure the reliable and efficient delivery of electricity.”
In the same statement, it was also mentioned that The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) reported 37 delayed transmission projects in July 2023 and that the NGCP failed to meet its proposed timelines to complete the projects.
According to Mayor Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City, which is located on Panay Island, the city can end up losing up to P500 million a day because of the power outage.
“In three days, we would have lost P1.5 billion. What a way to start the new year!” Treñas said in a briefing on Thursday.
As of writing, the NGCP said that it has restored and normalized all the power operations on Panay Island. The power interruption lasted from January 2 to January 5.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also said in a video statement that he ordered the ERC to reset the NGCP rates following the massive power outage.
“Accountability lies within the NGCP, they are tasked with grid stability. Stability involves proactive responses to breakdowns and unexpected events. A duty that NGCP has not fulfilled adequately,” Marcos said.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez also proposed to allocate some funds from the Maharlika Investment Fund to the NGCP to prevent future blackouts and improve its operations. — with reports from Cristina Chi and Jennifer Rendon
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