Lake Lanao water level dropping, says Napocor

MANILA, Philippines - The water level of Lake Lanao, the source of water for hydropower plants in Mindanao, continues to drop but the state-run National Power Corp. (Napocor) assured consumers that it would still meet its contractual obligations to power plants on the island.

Lake Lanao in Lanao del Sur is the source of water for Napocor’s Agus hydropower plants, which contribute about 35 to 40 percent of the power needs of Mindanao.

“The onset of summer has also greatly contributed to the receding elevation of the lake,” Napocor said.

Lake Lanao’s water level is projected to reach the critical level of 699.15 meters above sea level (masl) by May, Napocor said.

“At this elevation, Napocor is required under its operating protocol to start curtailing its operations, resulting in limited electric power generation from the Agus hydro plants,” Napocor warned.

To ensure that Lake Lanao’s water elevation would be within a reasonable level for the May 13 elections, Napocor said it would have to start conserving water from the lake by strictly supplying power to the extent of its contracted capacity with its customers of 924 megawatts (MW) for April and May.

If the lake’s elevation falls below 698.15 masl, Napocor said it would be constrained to shut down the Agus hydro plants.

“Under the prevailing circumstances, Napocor is asking for the understanding of the general public. It is also appealing to consumers to help conserve our limited supply of electric power and is urging all entities with generation capability to help mitigate the effects of power shortages by voluntarily operating their generating sets,” it said.

According to Napocor, the current dependable capacity of its Agus and Pulangi hydropower plants, including that of Power Barge 104 and its independent power producers, totals 1,071 MW, adequate to meet its contractual obligations with its customers.