Power fully restored in Panay

MANILA, Philippines — The days-long power outages are finally over after the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) fully restored loads to Panay Island.

As of noon of Jan. 5, NGCP announced that it was “removing restriction of demand and is fully restoring loads at Panay Island following the synchronization of the Palm Concepcion Power Corp. (PCPC) to the grid at 1:33 a.m. this morning, and their declaration that their unit is now stable.”

The synchronization of PCPC, which could generate 135 megawatts, to the grid was apparently the final touch that the NGCP needed to restore the power of Panay Island to normalcy.

With the PCPC synchronization, 347.2 megawatts are being served by Panay power plants, with 5.7 MW exported elsewhere to grid, for a total of 341.4 MW served loads.

At 12:31 p.m., MORE Electric and Power Corp., the sole distribution utility in Iloilo City, announced that all its six substations had been restored following the stabilization of the grid system in Panay.

Just like electric cooperatives on Panay Island, the MORE Power franchise area experienced a total blackout starting at 3:07 p.m. on Jan. 2.

Rotational loading was carried out starting afternoon of Jan. 3 after receiving clearance from the NGCP.

It emphasized that “in the interest of public safety and well-being, and to avoid jeopardizing lives, hospitals and other vital institutions providing essential functions were given higher priority as we continued the distribution of the limited power supply throughout the franchise area.”

But before the announcement, Mayor Jerry Treñas had already issued an order mandating a half-day work suspension at City Hall, citing prolonged power interruptions.

Treñas added that despite previous assurances from the NGCP on power restoration, the situation persists, prompting necessary measures. The use of biometrics has been suspended to accommodate affected employees.

Meanwhile, at 12:30 p.m., the Iloilo Electric Cooperative (ILECO) I has announced that it has also energized all feeders in its coverage area.

At that same time, ILECO III also made the same announcement.

At 12:35 p.m., ILECO II confirmed that it has fully energized all of its areas.

In a statement earlier, the NGCP pointed out that the shutdowns of power plants in Panay Island caused the power outage on Jan. 2.

“The unscheduled maintenance shutdowns of the largest power plants in Panay island was the primary cause of the power interruption. We emphasize the need for improved planning to ensure sufficient generation per island, with a well-balanced mix of fuels and technology,” NGCP said.

NGCP said that it first monitored a tripping at the Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) Unit 1 in Lapaz, Iloilo City, due to an “internal issue.”

The power tripping then cascaded to PEDC Unit 2, PCPC and to other power plants in Panay Island.

NGCP spokesman Reagahn Alcantara said that when PEDC 1 tripped, there was no major outage because they were able to absorb the loss of load.

But when two PEDC units tripped, “it was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Based on their monitoring, there was multiple tripping of plants. As for the reason, “that’s what we are trying to determine,” he said.

Alongside the DOE and ERC, Alcantara said they are trying to find the cause. They are also asking records from plants to corroborate their investigation and couldn’t rule out any cause for now.