DOE: Negros Island needs stable power source
BACOLOD CITY -- The island of Negros is in dire need of a stable power supply says Department of Energy (DOE) Visayas Field Office Supervisor Engr. Rey Maleza.
Maleza said what is being applied in Negros and Panay in terms of addressing the current power shortage is only a band aid solution. There is a need for private power investors, he said.
Maleza said Negros Island becomes isolated now because of the lack of reserve power. "Because of the lack of reserve supply, whenever there is a small trouble the whole grid is affected. The factor here is the demand plus the mandatory reserve of the DOE compared to the supply and not just based on the principle of the demand and supply as what the environmentalists believe," Maleza explained.
Maleza said that unlike in Luzon that their power supply is directed to the area, the power supply in Negros and Panay passes through Cebu from Samar and Leyte.
"We have to consider the submarine limitation, the transmission line limitation and that this time, we don't have any other options and we have so many other technical aspects to consider", Maleza said.
"If we look at only in layman's observation, in the whole country, we could have about 2,000megawatts over supply, but technically that is not the exact picture of our power supply. We still have to consider the load balancing and that Negros and Panay are only waiting for the extra load from Samar and Leyte," he added.
Maleza also explained that the critical period for the power situation in the Negros-Panay grid started during summer this year where brownouts and power interruptions are experienced even up to now. He explained that the situation was triggered by the reconditioning of the Palinpinon Power plant which is not on schedule. The National Power Corporation did not have the intention of the reconditioning the plant because of the fact that it is already up for sale. The critical period he said will be up to year 2009.
Maleza said, the problem of the DOE now is with the interested investors. Because the government under the Electricity and Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) could no longer put up new power pants, the construction of the new power plants now lies on the private investors.
He said, the DOE every year conducts forum to invite investors but the problem is, no serious investors come over to invest on power. By 2011, only four new power plants will be available and these are all coal-fired power plants. He said there were foreign investors who came to explore on wind power the one in San Carlos City and the one in Southern Negros in Cauayan, but both did not continue with the projects.