ILOILO City – After Thursday’s blackout, another one hit Western Visayas on Friday. The adverse impact of this to the local economy is what’s really worrisome, according to Mayor Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City, the region’s economic center.
Friday’s unscheduled power interruption started 2:57 p.m. The explanation of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) was vague – there was a “grid disturbance”.
“It is important for the NGCP to provide an explanation. We need to understand why this happened,” according to the seemingly annoyed Treñas.
Western Visayas enjoyed a robust economy in 2022, posting a growth of 9.3 percent, announced the Philippine Statistics Authority on Thursday, ironically the first day of the massive power failure.
NGCP is the Philippines’ transmission service provider. It has been given a franchise by the government to operate, maintain and develop the country’s state-owned power grid, and controls the supply and demand of power.
An hour after Friday’s “grid disturbance”, NGCP said, its 138KV Negros-Panay Sub-cable also “auto tripped.”
“What is being done to resolve the issue? What measures are being undertaken to prevent future outages,” asked Treñas.
In an advisory released early Friday evening, NGCP narrated that on Thursday, April 27 – the first of the two-day blackouts – it monitored a “system disturbance” at 1:51 p.m. affecting the Visayas grid.
The initial finding, according to NGCP, was that a power distribution utility-owned line “tripped”, and caused power plants to disengage from the transmission system.
NGCP did not identity which power distribution utility owned the line.
It also insisted that an assessment of NGCP’s facilities showed that their protection systems functioned as intended.
Treñas warned that blackouts, if not resolved, would result to economic losses.
“The rapid development of our region will be affected,” he said.
What about Friday’s blackout?
NGCP said another “system disturbance” occurred at 2:57 p.m.
Initial findings showed that the initiating event was the “tripping” of a power generation facility.
NGCP, however, also did not identify which power generation facility tripped.
“Similarly, an assessment of NGCP’s protection equipment showed that (our) transmission system functioned properly,” added the NGCP.
It assured Western Visayans it was “coordinating closely with the (power) generators and distribution utilities” and was “working on the expeditious restoration of affected NGCP lines and facilities.”
NGCP, in an earlier advisory on Friday, said its Visayas grid status for April 28 was on “yellow alert” from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A “yellow alert” is issued when the operating margin is insufficient to meet the transmission grid’s regulating and contingency requirement.
For its part, the Panay Energy Development Corporation (PEDC) – a power generator – issued a statement pointing to a “grid disturbance” as having caused the outages of its power plants.
“Ang amon nga protection system may na-detect nga grid disturbance that’s why nag-automatic kami shutdown,” said Michael Guanco, PEDC’s head of Community Relations & External Affairs.
Meanwhile, MORE Electric and Power Corporation’s (MORE Power) vice president for Network Development and Operations Group Engr. Bailey Del Castillo clarified there was no power supply deficit on their part before the blackouts.
“Naging short (ang power supply) ngayon kasi nag-trip ang mga planta,” he said.
Treñas appeared not satisfied with NGCP’s explanation.
“I am also asking NGCP to improve their facilities,” he said.
He also requested for a face-to-face meeting with NGCP officials on the second week of May.
“I have relayed this request to Anthony Almeda of NGCP. I will request the members of the City Council, business community, MORE Power, and PEDC to attend the meeting. It will be open to the media,” said Treñas./PN
