NPC, NGCP face raps over Mindanao power crisis

By John Unson Philippine Star Updated March 23, 2012 11:00 AM


KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines – The Agham Party-list will file a class suit against the National Power Corp. and its service conduit National Grid Corp. of the Philippines for their apparent inaction to address the power crisis in Mindanao.


Agham Rep. Angelo Palmones told reporters that NGP and NGCP officials should have anticipated the power shortage..


“But it appears they have not been doing their respective duties. They should have had prepared contingencies for this. Sadly they have none,” Palmones said.


Power utilities in many parts of Mindanao are implementing sectional rationing of electricity owing to the limited supply from NPC.


“This has badly affected the economy of so many..supposedly booming areas in Mindanao, particularly those in the countryside,” Palmones said. He also said that appliances become defective owing to the power outages.


Residents here and surrounding towns in North Cotabato have been complaining of the lack of information about the operation of a state-run geothermal power plant at Mt. Apo, which is located in nearby Barangay Ilomavis in Kidapawan City.


The service areas in Kidapawan City and North Cotabato of the Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco) suffer eight hours of periodic brownouts daily.


“What is so surprising is that the province is host to two geothermal power plants that supply about 100 megawatts of power to the Mindanao grid,” said Palmones, who hails from this city.


Lualhati Antonino, chair of the Mindanao Development Authority, said her office is looking into the power crisis.


State-run hydro-electric plants in Lanao del Sur, a province of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and Bukidnon, in Administrative Region 10, supply about three-fourths of Mindanao’s total power requirement.


ARMM regional government officials said water at Lake Lanao, whose downstream flow towards Iligan City and Lanao del Norte propels several hydro-electric plants in Lanao del Sur, will be enough to supply needs even during summer.