DMCI Power installs 2 emergency gensets in Palawan

December 08, 2015 at 11:25 pm by Alena Mae S. Flores
http://thestandard.com.ph/business/193903/dmci-power-installs-2-emergency-gensets-in-palawan.html

DMCI Power Corp. said Tuesday it installed two emergency power generation sets in Brooke’s Point, Palawan to augment power supply during the provincial sports competition.

“Our management has approved to install autonomous power facilities that could operate in an island mode to ensure stable and steady power supply throughout the event,” said DMCI Palawan plant manager Teofe Cadiz.

DMCI Power said the new gensets were a quick response to the request of the Palawan Electric Cooperative to quell any possibility of blackout during the Palarong Panlalawigan.

The company said it was able to install two generating sets on Dec. 6, despite the short notice given by the electric cooperative.

Palawan Electric informed DMCI Power that the 69-kilovolt line that transmits power to Brooke’s Point was undergoing upgrading, making it unreliable at this time.

“We wish the Palarong Pambansa success and we would like to show support to this important undertaking by way of responding to the demands and urgency of the situation in the best manner we can,” Cadiz said.

Brooke’s Point and other nearby towns in Southern Palawan including Española and Bataraza have been experiencing power disruptions due to insufficient supply of power.

DMCI Power said to solve this problem over the long term, it signed an agreement with Palawan Electric with the concurrence of the local government through a resolution, to construct a new 5.7-megawatt diesel power plant tin Brooke’s Point.

DMCI Power is also expanding its energy portfolio to include renewable energy such as hydro and biomass.

“We are closely studying hydropower and biomass because we think they have the strongest potential in terms of output reliability and commercial viability among the available RE technologies,” DMCI Power president Nestor Dadivas said earlier.

DMCI Power currently operates diesel and bunker power plants in Masbate, Palawan and Oriental Mindoro.

Another diesel plant with a capacity of 3 megawatts is set to operate in Sultan Kudarat by year-end.

The company is in the initial stage of identifying locations for the renewable energy projects.

“Right now, we have identified one or two areas. But the locations could still change depending on the results of our feasibility studies,” Dadivas said.

The company cited market conditions and government incentives as the reasons for its planned foray into renewable energy.

“Having priority dispatch, government support and a competitive price at a growing but highly competitive power industry makes these RE projects more attractive,” Dadivas said.