NGCP resorts to power curtailment in Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has resorted to power curtailment in Mindanao, which now has a deficit of 211 megawatts (MW).

NGCP Mindanao spokesperson Bambi Capulong said a power curtailment of up to 270 MW is being put in place, forcing power distributors in Mindanao to resort to power outages.

Mindanao has an existing capacity of 1,052 MW but has a demand of 1,263 MW, putting the deficit at 211 MW.

“And the only way to continuously make available power resources to different areas is to impose curtailment and it would mean power outages in most parts of the island,” Capulong said.

Capulong said only Davao and Cagayan de Oro cities have so far not been affected by the power outages because of the sufficient resources of local power firms.

Davao City has a standby power plant, which helps avert blackouts at this time.

Capulong said the cities of General Santos, Butuan, Cotabato, Iligan and Zamboanga and nearby provinces have been affected by the power curtailment.

Power outages lasting as long as six hours have been reported in these areas.

Luzon, on the other hand, has a 1,656 MW reserve while the Visayas has 369 MW reserve capacity, compared to Mindanao’s deficit of 211 MW.

Mindanao is dependent on hydroelectric power mainly generated by the Pulangi River in Bukidnon and Lake Lanao in Marawi City.

Power stakeholders have projected a severe power shortage in Mindanao in the next few years unless there are new investments, including the construction of coal-fired power plants.