Manila Bulletin
by Myrna Velasco
March 3, 2014
The 210-megawatt Mindanao coal-fired power plant has sustained damage after the strike of Mindanao blackouts on Thursday, a statement from facility operator Steag State Power Inc. (SPI) has noted.
“Technical problems were detected in the turbine generators. SPI is currently conducting a thorough assessment and inspection of the units and other plant systems,” the company said.
According to SPI president and chief executive officer Dr. Bodo Goerlich, “the company is working hard to restore the Mindanao coal-fired power plant back to the grid.”
He indicated further “we have already mobilized all our resources to restore the units back on-line.”
As to the timeframe of the plant operations’ restoration, however, the company was not able to commit exact schedule yet as of Friday afternoon.
“Target date of the units’ restoration will be known as soon as the technical assessment and evaluation is completed,” the company stressed.
The facility went off-line dawn of Thursday as the entire Mindanao grid was also plunged into system-wide power interruptions.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has indicated in briefings with the media that power supply in Mindanao grid cannot be brought back in full yet, up until the Steag coal plant returns to operation.
The Mindanao coal plant sited at the Phividec Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental has two units of 105-MW capacity each.
It started commercial operations in 2006, and since then, it became a major source of supply for the region. It also enhanced power mix diversification in the grid, which traditionally relied with hydropower plants. source
