Power hard to guarantee during polls -- NGCP

Business World Online

Posted on April 03, 2013 11:40:40 PM

CAGAYAN DE ORO -- The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) vowed to harness all its resources to efficiently transmit power in Mindanao but warned it could not single-handedly make an assurance there would be no power outage on the island on election day.
NGCP says a multi-sectoral approach is needed to ensure power during election day.“The NGCP alone cannot guarantee there will be no power interruption during the conduct of the elections. It will take a multi-sectoral approach -- from (power) generation, transmission, distribution, all under the Department of Energy -- with each doing its own tasks,” said Cynthia P. Alabanza, NGCP spokesperson, during the “Power 102 -- Transmission Development Plan” dialogue held here before the Lenten break.
Ms. Alabanza said the NGCP would try to repeat its performance in the 2010 elections, when no transmission-related problem occurred.
The company, she said, has been holding a dry-run using its equipment and among its personnel to ensure an efficient response when unscheduled power interruptions occur especially during the election.
With respect to the predicament on power sourcing, she noted again that NGCP has no control over power generation. “I cannot speak for Napocor (National Power Corp.) What we can only do is to transmit all available power,” she explained.
NGCP is also looking closely at areas prone to power outage, which could occur during election day. It identified Baloi town in Lanao del Norte as being prone to power problems. Apart from Baloi, the line from Agus to Kibawe in Bukidnon is also being placed under watch.
In previous years, power transmission lines would suddenly be cut in Northern Mindanao and in autonomous Muslim region provinces. Armed men believed to be members of extortion syndicates were seen toppling power facilities in remote areas.
Mindanao’s power deficiency as of Wednesday, April 3, was estimated at 118 megawatts (MW) , based on data from NGCP’s Web site. This was an improvement from over 200 MW recorded in previous weeks.
The improvement was due to additional rainfall in Mindanao in the last few days. The island’s power profile remains heavily dependent on hydroelectric sources; over half of its roughly 1,250 MW normal demand is supplied by such sources.
Industry stakeholders on the island have been complaining in recent weeks when power deficiency dipped close to 300 MW, or roughly a fourth of the demand, resulting in brownouts of up to eight hours daily in some areas in Central Mindanao and Zamboanga Peninsula. The situation was compounded by maintenance work in some power generation units these past weeks.
This island’s major cities, namely Cagayan de Oro and Davao, however, have remained free from power outages due to supplemental supply of electricity from independent producers that have ownership links with distribution companies. -- Christine H. Cabiasa   source