DOE assures immediate repair of Visayas Grid
The Department of Energy (DOE) assures the public that coordination is already being undertaken among power agencies including the National Power Corporation (NPC) and National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) to address the power outage affecting the Visayas Grid which include the island of Panay.
NPC's major geothermal plants in Leyte were damaged by the 4.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the province 10:02 a.m. of Wednesday.
Part of power being used in Panay island comes from the Visayas Grid which links Leyte, Cebu and Negros Occidental and Panay.
The damage resulted to a power blackout which lasted more than six hours in areas under the Visayas Grid. Power have been restored in most areas but sudden power trip offs still occur.
All the electric cooperatives in Panay and Guimaras mostly source their power from NPC's power plants which share power from the Visayas Grid.
Engr. Wilfredo Billena, general manager of Iloilo Electric Cooperative (Ileco I), said over the radio that the power outage once again bolsters the need for Panay island to have its own baseload power source.
Proposals to put up coal-fired power plants however are strongly opposed by certain environmental groups and the Catholic church.
A report said that personnel from NPC,and Transco have already been dispatched for immediate assessment and continuing response to possible damage in the infrastructure for power generation and delivery in the Visayas Grid arising from the earthquake.
DOE Officer-in-Charge Undersecretary Melinda Ocampo said that both NPC President Cyril del Callar and TransCo President Alan Ortiz have assured her that full restoration of electric service is being targeted the soonest possible time.
She appealed to electricity customers in the Visayas Grid to refrain from using non-essential appliances while the restoration activities are ongoing to prevent undue power load surges.
Likewise, the PNOC-Energy Development Corporation (PNOC-EDC) have assured the DOE that initial assessment of possible damage is already ongoing. The National Electrification Administration (NEA) and the electric cooperatives in the earthquake affected areas have already dispatched their linemen to monitor the extent of the power outage and any damage to distribution lines.
The power outage was triggered by an earthquake of tectonic origin that hit the Province of Leyte. Leyte hosts major geothermal plants in Southern Leyte accounting for about 45% of generation capacity in the Visayas Grid.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHILVOCS) reported that the earthquake reached Intensity 4 in Tongonan, Leyte and Intensity 3 in Ormoc, Leyte with possible source from the Leyte segment of the Philippine fault line.
The DOE assures the public that the energy agencies are undertaking measures to work towards immediate restoration of electricity services in the Visayas grid and to prevent further damage to power plants, transmission lines and the entire system.
(With reports from PIA)