Published
December 22, 2016, 10:01 PM By Myrna M. Velasco
Two power plants –
Quezon Power and Calaca coal-fired generating units – will be under scheduled
maintenance shutdown almost parallel to the shutdown of the Malampaya gas
production facility from January 28 to February 16, 2017.
This will then add
pressure to supply tightening during the downtime of the gas platform – a
scenario that shall be causing further worries to the Department of Energy
(DOE).
Power plant shutdowns
are scheduled almost a year ahead because such process involves the hiring of
even international consultants to supervise prescribed repair activities. The
scope of repair works and timelines are well-coordinated with the DOE and
system operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
According to NGCP,
Calaca will be on scheduled shutdown from December 15, 2016 to February 27,
2017; while the Quezon power plant will be on downtime from January 21 to
February 17, 2017.
Amid these
well-anticipated developments, the energy department has been nudging industry
players to ensure stability of power supply on these critical periods, so
consumers would not suffer unwarranted power interruptions.
As stressed by Energy
Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, “my directive was clear – the Malampaya maintenance
activities should pose no substantial impact to supply of electricity by using
all available resources and remedies, because power is a basic necessity for
our countrymen.”
The energy department,
he said, has already “started preparatory activities jointly with industry
stakeholders to safeguard energy consumers from possible impact on supply and
prices of electricity supply.”
Cusi said their comfort
level at least lies in the fact that “historically, SPEX completed its
maintenance period on time.” SPEX is the lead in the consortium operating he
Malampaya field.
The DOE is expecting
that the field operator will keep its record just the same for this batch of
the platform’s maintenance activity which shall cover repair of its subsea
facilities, upgrades on the platform and maintenance on the onshore plant.
The other sphere in
which the DOE would not have any control of would be on prospective rate hike
ensuing from the gas facility’s repair schedule.
As affirmed, the cost
impact on the customers of Manila Electric Company (Meralco) when billed in
March could be as much as P1.00 per kilowatt hour.
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