Business World Online
Posted on September 03, 2012 09:24:02 PM
DAVAO CITY -- Mindanao experienced a power deficiency of about 320 megawatts (MW) last weekend, the worst since 2010, data from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines showed.
Agus 6 has a capacity of 200 MW, while Agus 7 has 54 MW.
The National Power Corp. (Napocor) said a fire broke out at the control cable tunnel leading to the Maria Cristina Switchyard at about 10:20 p.m. of Sept. 1, damaging the control cables of Agus 6 and 7, and causing the generating units of the two power plants to trip, particularly Unit Nos. 3, 4, and 5 of Agus 6 and Unit No. 2 of Agus 7. On Monday, the Web site of the National Grid Corp. showed a power supply deficit of 199 MW with system capacity (or supply) at 972 MW, while system peak (or demand) at 1,171 MW.
Last weekend’s power shortage, however, did not create a major problem in this city -- the largest urban center in Mindanao -- as it was a weekend when many government and private offices were closed.
In a statement, the Napocor said it is working double-time to bring the Agus 6 and 7 hydroelectric power plants back on-line after the control cables of the two facilities were damaged.
Napocor’s Mindanao Generation Group spokesperson Atty. Romero P. Pacilan said they are now working closely with the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) to complete the restoration of the control cable system to bring back Units 3 and 4 of Agus 6 by Friday, Sept. 7.
"Once we bring Units 3 and 4 back onstream, we can immediately contribute about 80 MW to the grid. The restoration of the remaining generating units of Agus 6 and 7 to the grid will follow suit shortly thereafter," he added.
Even while repair works are being done on the two power plants, Napocor will be able to supply 1,006 megawatts (MW) to the Mindanao Grid.
Meanwhile, Mr. Pacilan said Napocor is undertaking other measures which include working with the NGCP to put up an alternative control cable system that will re-establish the protection and metering systems of each of the generating units of Agus 6 and 7 which were damaged by fire.
All Preventive Maintenance Schedules of Mindanao-based power plants were likewise temporarily suspended until Agus 6 and 7 are back on the stream again.
The damage to the control cable system also forced the power plant management of Agus 6 to manually shut down Units 1 and 2 of the plant.
With no control cables leading to the MC Switchyard, Agus 6 and 7, which have a combined dependable capacity of 166 MW, were isolated from the Mindanao Grid.
The local power firm, Davao Light and Power Co., noted earlier this year that it would schedule rotating brownouts should the Mindanao power grid deficiency reach 320 MW during weekdays.
Mindanao experienced shortages during the second quarter of this year brought about by maintenance and repair works on old hydroelectric plants run by the government’s National Power Corp., specifically the Agus and Pulangi power complexes.
This even triggered a debate on whether it would be advantageous for the people of Mindanao to privatize these hydroelectric plants as specified in the Electric Power Industry Reform Act.
The government has pushed for the privatization of the hydroelectric plants, which have been the source of roughly half of the electricity needs of Mindanao.
This city has been spared from power outages since the power crisis of 2010 due to a 40-MW standby diesel plant of Davao Light as well as an exclusive contract with its sister company, Hedcor, Inc., to supply the entire 42.5-MW power produced by its Sibulan hydro power plant in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.
In a press statement issued last week, however, Davao Light called on those with power generation sets to prepare their units in case the power problem gets out of hand.
"With this set up, customers... will be able to utilize the power that would have been consumed by these large customers," it said. -- CQ Francisco and DO Rivera source
No comments:
Post a Comment