NGCP prepares for summer’s peak power demand

Sunstar Cagayan de Oro
Tuesday, April 15, 2014

AS the country braces for the heat of the summer season, NGCP reiterates its commitment to fulfill its mandated duty of being the power transmission provider and system operator in the Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao grids.

“The supply will be tight, but NGCP will be ready to transmit whatever power is available to the grid,” stated Atty. Cynthia D. Perez-Alabanza, NGCP Spokesperson.

The highest peak demand this year is forecast at 8,654 MW in the month of May. The highest actual peak demand last year was 8,305 MW.

In Luzon, three power plant units will be on scheduled shutdown and one will be on forced outage during this period from March to May. In the Visayas, two will be on scheduled shutdown and one on forced outage.

The high voltage direct current (HVDC) line linking Luzon (Naga City) and Visayas (Leyte Island) will be shut down for maintenance on April 9-21 because the facility’s housing / valve hall at the HVDC station will be reinforced. Even with this maintenance work, NGCP assures that the grid is secure and able to handle the load. Back-up lines are fully operational and ready to deliver available power from the generators.

In Mindanao, one power plant is scheduled to be shut down and two will be on forced outage during the summer months.

Meanwhile, NGCP assures that its transmission facilities – transmission towers, lines, and substations – are adequate for the transmission of available power to the grid.

To mitigate grid issues related to summer, NGCP conducted early in the year an audit of substation equipment and transmission lines all over the country. Since February, major lines and equipment has been inspected and scanned for defects or abnormalities, which were subsequently evaluated and corrected.

NGCP’s Reliability and Technical Assessment Department will continue to conduct the technical audit of facilities throughout the year to assist in the operation and maintenance of power transmission equipment.

“These efforts are part of NGCP’s commitment to implement transmission projects that will improve the reliability of the grid,” Alabanza said.

Also in the preparation for the summer, NGCP warns the public of the risks of breaching right-of-way (ROW) clearances near transmission lines and towers.

“Transmission line-related accidents usually occur during the summer season because this is when the public, especially the children on vacation, fly kites. Grass fires also usually occur during summer. We are reminding the public to be careful to avoid accidents,” Alabanza said.

“Our lines carry very high voltage power. Violating safety clearance will be detrimental not just to NGCP’s operations, but also to public safety. Electrocution, accidents, and line trippings or interruptions are all damaging to NGCP, the victims, and ultimately, the electricity consumers. We ask for the public’s cooperation to help lessen, if not eliminate, transmission line-related accidents in the future,” she explained.

NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of operating and maintaining the country’s electric power grid. Although it does not own and operate power generating plants and local distribution utilities, NGCP remains in constant communication with generators and distribution utilities all over the country as it transmits electricity to bulk power users. source