9-hour power outage hits parts of Mindanao today

DAVAO CITY, Philippines  – A large part of Mindanao is set to experience today a nine-hour power outage because of the scheduled shutdown of the Maramag (Pulangi)-Kibawe 138-KV transmission line of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).

Among those expected to be affected by the power shutdown are the areas serviced by the Cotabato Electric Cooperative, South Cotabato Electric Cooperatives 1 and 2, Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative, Ma-guindanao Electric Cooperative, and Cotabato Light and Power Co. Inc.

In a letter to the different power distributors, NGCP operations chief Maxim Adiong said the power outage is brought about by operational problems in the Maramag-Kibawe facility.

The NGCP asked the affected power distributors to implement the necessary load curtailment, as it facilitates the stringing and tapping work on its new Maramag-Bunawan 230-KV transmission line.

Davao Light and Power Co. Inc. has advised its consumers that they will experience one-hour rotational power interruptions today, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., in compliance with NGCP’s request for load curtailment.

Davao City is considered to be the biggest power consumer in Mindanao.

Davao Light officials explained that due to its existing embedded power sources nearby, its customers would likely experience shorter power outages compared to other affected areas in Mindanao.

Augmenting the power supply in Davao City is the power generated from the Aboitiz Power-Sibulan hydroelectric plant and the standby Bajada power plant, which will be operational today.

The company’s interruptible load program (ILP) with participating big industries may also be activated when the need arises in order to mitigate the impact of the power outage.

In times of power shortage, the ILP is resorted to as heavy users are encouraged to use their own power-generating sets instead of drawing power from the distribution line.