Power from Luzon, Mindanao averts red alert in the Visayas

CEBU, Philippines — Electricity imports from Luzon and Mindanao have prevented the Visayas Grid from slipping into a red alert despite the simultaneous outages of several major power plants, Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Mario Marasigan said Monday.

During a virtual press briefing, Marasigan said the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the Visayas Grid under yellow alert from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. due to reduced available generating capacity caused by the outages of Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI), Cebu Energy Development Corporation (CEDC), KEPCO SPC, and Toledo Power Corporation.

Marasigan said Toledo Power suffered a plant tripping a few days ago and is expected to return to service by August 6 after assessment and repair work.

He added that CEDC experienced an outage ahead of its scheduled preventive maintenance shutdown.

For TVI Units 1 and 2, Marasigan said both generating units encountered the same abnormal thermal problem affecting their main turbines. Although the units were already scheduled for preventive maintenance, the defect was first detected around May 12, necessitating extensive repairs.

“The additional outage at Toledo Power was what contributed to today’s yellow alert,” Marasigan said yesterday.

Despite the reduced generating capacity, Marasigan said power imports through the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project have helped stabilize the grid.

He said Mindanao exported about 400 megawatts (MW) to the Visayas during the afternoon and up to 450 MW in the evening, while Luzon supplied around 250 MW through the interconnection.

“Without the transfers from Mindanao and Luzon, the Visayas would regularly experience red alert conditions,” he said.

The DOE also warned that Mindanao could face possible yellow alerts in the coming weeks due to increasing electricity demand and the scheduled preventive maintenance of several power plants.

To strengthen grid reliability, the agency has directed the NGCP to immediately negotiate and contract additional ancillary reserve services.

DOE identified 270 MW of battery energy storage projects that are ready for deployment in the Visayas, with about 50 MW already undergoing testing and commissioning.

Marasigan also provided an update on the planned transfer of a 50-MW power barge to Cebu, saying the company has begun securing permits for its relocation.

The DOE expects the facility to be transferred, tested, and commissioned before the end of the year.

He added that the department continues to evaluate other proposals for additional generating capacity to further augment the Visayas power supply.

Meanwhile, Patrick Aquino, director of the DOE Energy Utilization Management Bureau, urged the public to continue participating in the agency’s Oras Natin sa Efficiency (ONE) campaign every Saturday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. by switching off unnecessary lights and unplugging unused appliances.

Aquino said the campaign has already generated energy savings of 115,129 megawatt-hours (MWh), enough to supply electricity for about 575,645 households for one month.

He also announced that the DOE will conduct public consultations this week on three proposed policies. The measures aim to ensure compliance of solar photovoltaic (PV) installers with industry standards, strengthen demand-side management through a load management program, and recognize the work experience of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) seeking accreditation as energy efficiency professionals.

Under the Government Energy Management Program (GEMP), Aquino said the agency completed 1,740 energy audits and 2,437 energy spot checks as of the end of July.

The government also saved approximately 58,542 MWh of electricity and 1.999 million liters of petroleum products through its energy conservation initiatives, he added. — (FREEMAN)