October 1, 2018 | 9:53 pm
THE Department of
Energy (DoE) is once again modifying its energy mix policy to reflect what the
power distribution system needs, which initial assessment shows baseload plants
to account for 55-56% and not the 70% earlier set by the department.
“Is it really 70% in
terms of baseload? It appears it’s not. It’s 55, 56%,” Mario C. Marasigan,
director of the DoE’s electric power industry management bureau, told reporters
when asked about an update on the department’s energy supply and demand
outlook.
The final energy mix,
which broadly guides the private sector on the type of power plants to build,
will be ready once the power utilities have submitted their distribution
development plans, he said.
At present, the DoE’s
energy mix, which was set when Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi took over in
2016, is 70% baseload or power plants that remain online for an extended
period, 30% mid-merit or those that can easily be switched on and off, and 10%
peaking, which are mostly diesel-fired power plants.
“Our outlook is still
70-20-10, that’s why we’re changing it,” Mr. Marasigan said.
He said next to
baseload power plants, the next biggest share is from mid-merit plants, which
are switched on as demand starts to rise when offices and malls open.
Peaking plants account
for the smallest share considering the peak power demand is shorter — about two
hours in Metro Manila when electricity use spikes in the afternoon and early
evening.
He said rounded figures
would give an energy mix of 60-30-10 for baseload, mid-merit and peaking,
respectively, or 55-35-10, depending on the final submissions of the
distribution utilities’ outlook.
Mr. Marasigan said in
terms of the technology used by the power plants, baseload plants are largely
coal, geothermal, biomass, natural gas and some hydroelectric plants. The
facilities that provide the country’s mid-merit power demand are natural
gas-fired, diesel and impounding hydropower plants.
He said renewable
energy sources such as solar and wind are generally mid-merit and peaking
plants but their output is dispatched first as called for by the country’s
feed-in-tariff system that encourages their development. This sometimes results
in the output of the other plants to be curtailed to give priority to
renewables in the electricity spot market. — Victor V. Saulon
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