Misamis power plant shut down for repairs

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Mindanao is expected to experience a temporary power shortage as the STEAG State Power, Inc. (SPI) will shut down its coal-fired plant in Misamis Oriental as part of its preventive maintenance schedule (PMS).

The PMS will involve at least 210 megawatts, with the first 105 MW scheduled today until Aug. 14, while the second 105 MW will be from Sept. 21 to Oct. 27, said SPI spokesman Jerome Soldevilla.

Soldevilla said the planned PMS has been coordinated closely with the National Power Corp. (NPC) and the grid operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).

SPI plant manager Carsten Evers said the preventive maintenance works need to be carried out to ensure efficiency and reliability of its two power-generating units.

Evers said in determining the timing of the PMS, SPI takes into consideration the power plant’s operations and maintenance guidelines including the anticipated electricity demand-supply condition of the region during the period.

He said since start of the operations of the coal-fired plant in 2006, SPI has sustained a high availability rate of 93 percent and an unplanned outage rate of less than one percent.

SPI’s power plant is considered to be the most modern and the biggest in Mindanao on a per unit capacity. It accounts for about 20 percent of the island’s electric generation mix.