By Danessa Rivera (The
Philippine Star) | Updated January 5, 2017 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines – Aside from
higher electricity rates, the Luzon grid is projected to experience thin power
supply by mid-February due to the 20-day Malampaya shutdown.
Around 1,850 megawatts (MW) of
capacity will be lost to the Luzon grid when the Malampaya project undergoes
maintenance from Jan. 28 to Feb. 16, Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary
Felix William Fuentebella said in a briefing yesterday.
This is because three power plants –
the 200-MW Calaca Unit 1, 456-MW Quezon Power Philippines Ltd. Co.(QPPL) plant
and the 600-MW Ilijan Block 1 – will be on scheduled shutdown during that time.
Moreover, the 414-MW San Gabriel
plant will not be running while the Ilijan Block 2 plant will have a derated
capacity of 420 MW as it will be operating on diesel as fuel.
Fuentebella said the critical period
for the Luzon grid will be from Feb. 13 to 17 based on simulations provided by
the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).
As mitigating measures, the DOE is
tapping available renewable energy (RE) capacities, interruptible load program
(ILP) participants and demand side management from consumers to prevent power
shortage.
“We asked (Renewable Energy
Management Bureau) to give us more inputs of RE coming in…We also asked Meralco
to include ILP (in their projections). We are also looking into demand side
management,” Fuentebella said.
The Luzon grid will also be able to
source additional supply from the Visayas grid, which has two new coal-fired
power plants running – the 135-MW Palm Concepcion Power Corp. (PCPC) coal power
plant and the 150-MW Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) coal power plant,
the DOE official said.
The 97-MW Avion plant is also
undergoing commissioning to run on diesel as fuel to augment power supply
during the Malampaya shutdown.
“What we can do is ensure sufficient
supply,” Fuentebella said.
March electricity rates are
projected to increase by P1.20 per kilowatt-hour (kwh) as natural gas plants
would run on diesel of condensate.
“It’s an issue of change of fuel
from a cheaper fuel to a more expensive fuel,” Fuentebella said.
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