BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – How should the government, public utilities, and other stakeholders solve the recurring power blackouts in Panay Island and other parts of Western Visayas?
Addressing this requires tackling the underlying issues that have led to the power interruptions. The Department of Energy (DOE) has proposed short-term and long-term solutions.
The short-term solution involves using 10 percent of the headroom of the large coal plants as a contingency reserve, according to a statement from the energy department.
“Long-term solutions, such as the energization of several renewable and conventional power plants and the completion of transmission projects to support the power generation projects and the growth of the load centers, are in the pipeline,” the DOE added.
On March 1, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reported the unplanned shutdown of units 1, 2, and 3 of Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC), with a total power of 316 megawatts (MW).
It also noted that the unplanned shutdown of PEDC units and the maintenance shutdown of Palm Concepcion Power Corp. (PCPC) (135 MW) caused a massive blackout that lasted about three hours.
DOE said Panay Island is powered by four large coal power plants with a total capacity of 451 MW and nine smaller diesel/bunker and renewable plants with a total capacity of 220.3 MW. The large coal power plants include three units of PEDC and one unit of PCPC.
In addition to local generators, 180 MW can be drawn from Negros Island to Panay through a submarine cable. The total demand for Panay Island is below 400 MW.
PCPC is currently undergoing a regular maintenance shutdown until March 30, 2024.
“By the end of March, the Panay grid will be strengthened by the completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay transmission upgrade, and the PCPC regular maintenance shutdown will conclude,” the DOE said.
The energy department has called for cooperation among the generators, the distribution utility, and the system operator in Panay. It also advocates for energy conservation while the NGCP awaits the completion of the transmission upgrade and the maintenance of PCPC by the end of March.
Panay Island alone has more than 400 MW of power supply, while the demand is around 420 MW, according to the energy department.
Regarding renewable energy contributions to the island, 20 MW come from wind energy, in addition to about 50 MW generated by Guimaras wind power. Additionally, some 8 MW of energy are sourced from hydropower generating facilities.
In a press conference yesterday, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas announced he will meet with fellow public officials and officials from the DOE, the Energy Regulatory Commission, MORE Electric and Power Corp., PEDC, PCPC, several local government units, and the business community on Thursday, March 7, to discuss the issue./PN
