Mindanao firm’s power unit online before May 8

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – The STEAG State Power Inc. (SPI), a coal-fired plant operating in Villanueva town in Misamis Oriental, announced yesterday that it has deferred by four more days the synchronization of one of its power generating units originally scheduled today.

The delay came amid the worsening power situation in Mindanao, which is currently experiencing  four-to eight-hour rotating blackouts.

SPI power plant manager Carsten Evers said while the repair and restoration works of the power-generating unit 2 is complete, the company needs more time to ensure that the unit is in excellent condition before its synchronization to the Mindanao grid.

SPI’s power plant went offline on Feb. 27 after its turbine-electric generating sets sustained damage.

The power firm estimated the unit 2 to be back online on or before May 8, while the target date for the restoration of unit 1 remains on or before June 1.

SPI’s power plant has two identical power generating sets with a net capacity of 105 megawatt (MW) each. 

“We apologize for this delay and rest assured that we are doing everything we can to bring the units back to the grid,” Evers said.

SPI is working with the Department of Energy and other stakeholders in the Mindanao power industry to help improve the power situation on the island.

Cagayan de Oro City, the premier economic hub in Northern Mindanao, is among those hit by the power shortage due to inadequate supply from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).

Initially set at three hours per day, the city started experiencing a four-hour rotating blackout on Thursday.

The city’s lone power distributor, Cagayan Electric Power and Light Co. Inc. (Cepalco) said in a statement the rotating brownouts in its service area is inevitable as the NGCP implemented power supply cut starting mid-April.

The blackouts affect almost all of Cepalco’s service areas, including the coastal town of Tagoloan in the city’s eastern coast.

Cepalco’s independent power sources such as its 1-MW solar energy plant, the largest in Mindanao, the 5-MW Bubunawan Hydroplant and the 30-MW Minergy plant were just enough to supply the city’s power needs during non-peak hours.

The NGCP’s power load curtailment and the stoppage of the STEAG coal-powered plant have forced Cepalco to adopt the rotating brownouts, which might last until the end of summer. – With Edith Regalado