NGCP assures Cebu PB of stable power supply by March
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has assured the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) that the power situation in Cebu will stabilize by next month.
NGCP officer-in-charge Raul Galano apprised the PB of the power situation in the province.
He reported that from Feb. 8 to 12, power demand was higher than the supply capacity, which resulted in power deficiency.
Every day from that week, Cebu had brownouts during peak hours in the morning, afternoon and evening. Peak hours are from 6 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
There was no load cutting during the weekend, including Valentine’s Day, said Galano.
While demand was higher than the power supply at daytime Monday, no manual load cutting was implemented because Luzon was able to supply power to the Visayas, Galano said.
The Mahanagdong Power Plant in Leyte is expected to end its preventive maintenance Wednesday and will fully load 60 megawatts (mw) of power.
The new power plant in Toledo City will be synchronized in the system on Wednesday.
The chance of power cutting for the rest of the week is “slim”, said Galano.
Over the weekend, the Toledo Power Plant will be tested. It is expected to raise 80 mw of power and supply a net of 70 mw.
“On Feb. 22 and 23, the Cebu Thermal Power Plant is expected to be on line, hopefully,” said Galano.
PB Member Victor Maambong asked whether NGCP, which is privately run, has enough teeth to tell power companies to run.
Galano said the preventive maintenance shutdown has been postponed several times.
Department of Energy (DOE) 7 Director Antonio Labios said their national office has issued a memorandum that there will be no more preventive maintenance shutdowns after this month.
Labios noted that the immediate concerns of the DOE are the power situation during elections and the implementation of the wholesale electricity spot market in the Visayas to promote competition.
Labios said wind power sources in Cebu are being considered. But their development will depend on investors s the government can’t make its own power plant. (PNA)
