Business Mirror
TUESDAY, 03 APRIL 2012 19:41 MANUEL T. CAYON / REPORTER
DAVAO CITY—The Department of Energy (DOE) urged power distributors and electric cooperatives to adapt to the new system of generation mix in acquiring power sources, saying the lack of reliable base load has constantly strained the Mindanao grid, which is already running 200 megawatts short of break-even supply-demand situation.
The prodding by Energy Undersecretary Josefina Patricia Asirit came as reports indicated an improvement in power supply in Mindanao, reducing the brownouts to only between 30 minutes and one hour in big franchise areas, where the length of brownouts before was double the time then.
Asirit told the gathering on Tuesday at the Grand Regal Hotel here of power distributors and electric cooperatives across Mindanao that the hydroelectric source, which comprises 56 percent of the power supply in the Mindanao grid, was not equivalent to the base load understood to be a reliable source.
“With its seasonal nature, water could not be taken as the base load,” she said. Mindanao has only 17 percent of its power considered to be base load.
This means, she told a press conference later, that “our distributors should begin to adapt to the new system, where we have to combine hydro; geothermal; coal- and oil-fired sources.”
She said this has already been practiced but only to a certain extent in Mindanao, “because many our distributors, especially the small cooperatives, were wary or afraid that it would cost more for their consumers.”
“It’s a combination of the cheap hydroelectric power and the expensive oil-fired sources,” she said.
Mindanao continued to collect the cheapest rate in the country, collecting P2.90 per kilowatt-hour on off-peak period to P3.30 on peak hours. It was between P5.50 and P6 in Luzon.
Mindanao has a peak demand of 1,300 megawatts, while the grid could muster only 1,319 MW, but it already included the combined 200 MW from the two power barges operated by the Aboitiz-owned Therma Marine Inc., said Rodolfo P. Brioso, officer in charge and vice president of the Mindanao Generation division of the National Power Corp. (Napocor).
Asirit said the DOE hopes the legal tussle between the Napocor and the Iligan city government would be solved to allow the operation soon of the 100-MW Iligan diesel plant. The Iligan plant has been contracted to Conal Holdings Inc., which is building a coal plant in Sarangani province.
“We hope we can put it online within the next four months, if not earlier,” she said. The controversy was now being evaluated by the Commission on Audit.
The search for available capacities was also being doubled as the Napocor said major repair work has to be done to correct the major infraction in the bottom portion of the 1,352-hectare dam of the Pulangi 4 hydroelectric plant.
“We have repaired the crack monitored at the dam last year, and we thought it was doing well. This new problem in the structure was noticed only this year after we drained it,” Brioso said. The repair would take four weeks but he said it could be shortened.
Asirit said the decision was not yet reached by the government.
At present ,the Pulangi plant generates a maximum of 180 MW only but Brioso said repair could restore its original 255-MW capacity.
Meanwhile, the DOE said on Tuesday that fewer electric cooperatives in Mindanao are currently experiencing power outages following the issuance of a department circular that rationalized the power supply in the region.
The DOE said not all areas in Mindanao have power outages including Cotabato, Panabo, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, and Davao.
With the issuance of the circular, the DOE said the areas not experiencing interruptions now include Malaybalay, Dipolog, Dapitan, Valencia, Camiguin, Panabo, Digos, Tagum, Mati, Cotabato, Surigao, Butuan, and Cabadbaran.
“We hope that electric cooperatives, power generators, and all other stakeholders will continue to cooperate to temporarily address the power situation in Mindanao and this will be a good start towards a long-term measure needed to provide a stable power supply in the region,” Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said.
With Paul Isla
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