Business World Online
Posted on 07:23 PM, January 07, 2011
Luzon may have to tap some 200 megawatts (MW) in surplus capacity the Visayas grid is expected to have by March if a crippling power shortage hits the former this summer, an Energy official told reporters on Friday.
"The complete commissioning [in the Visayas] of an expected [additional] 610 MW [capacity] is expected by March 2011, although they are now running at test commissioning stage. Please note that peak demand and required reserve margin is 300 MW-400 MW. Hence, the full operation of the large coal fired power plants in Cebu and Panay will be more than enough," Department of Energy Undersecretary Josefina Patricia M. Aserit said.
She added "peak demand periods of Luzon and the Visayas do not occur simultaneously, hence, there can be an exchange."
New generating capacities expected to come online in the Visayas are from the 246 MW coal fired power plant of Cebu Energy Development Corp., the 164 MW coal power plant of Metrobank’s Panay Energy Development Corp. and the 200 MW Korean Electric Power Corp.’s coal power plant.
The power plants are expected to come online in the first quarter of 2011.
Ms. Aserit said the high-voltage direct current transmission line running from Luzon and the Visayas is capable of carrying up to 360 MW.
The DoE earlier stated Luzon will need additional capacity of 300 MW to meet power demand in 2011. Peak demand for 2011 in Luzon is projected at 7,582 MW.
The Web site of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines showed that Luzon yesterday had 7,346-MW available capacity against a peak load of 6,092, yielding 938 MW in gross reserve.
Mindanao, which had borne the brunt of a crippling power shortage amid the drought that struck in the first half of 2010, had 1,359 MW available capacity against a 1,180-MW peak load, resulting in a thin 179-MW gross reserve.
The Visayas, however, had 1,236 available capacity against a bigger peak load of 1,279 MW, yielding a 43-MW deficiency. -- E. N. J. David
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