2019 power supply meets demand–DOE

By Lenie Lectura -November 12, 2018

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019-power-supply-meets-demand-doe/

POWER supply in 2019 will be adequate next year given an additional capacity of about 2,375 megawatts (MW) that will come from new power projects across the country.

“The DOE [Department of Energy] is confident in our projections for 2019 that we will be able to meet the demand considering the incoming capacities in Luzon, the Visayas and, of course, Mindanao,” said DOE Assistant Secretary Redentor Delola.

For Luzon, he said peak power demand is expected to reach 11,200 MW, from the 10,800 MW recorded in May last year.

Delola said Luzon could experience tight supply because the 650-MW  Malaya thermal plant in Rizal province is no longer designated as a must-run unit.

But with additional capacity that will come from the first unit of GN Power Dinginin coal plant, which Delola said is around 300 MW, and the 335-MW Masinloc plant, there will be enough supply for the expected growth. Delola said the 2019 forecast peak demand in Luzon is considered a “normal growth.”

“If we will have problems next year, there won’t be a red alert, only yellow alert,” said the DOE official.

A yellow alert notice means operating reserves have dropped below the required 647-MW contingency in Luzon, or equivalent to the largest unit in Luzon, which is the 647-MW coal-fired power plant in Sual, Pangasinan.

A red alert notice is issued by the grid operator when the power reserve left on the grid is regulating reserve or equivalent to 4 percent of the current demand. Power interruption may occur.

In the Visayas, Delola said peak demand is expected to hit 2,300 MW next year from 2,100 MW this year.

He said the department expects Therma Visayas Inc.’s (TVI) 340-MW power plant in Toledo, Cebu, to become operational within the year.

“TVI will come in this year, plus HVDCC [High Voltage DC Coupled Charging],” he said.

In Mindanao, Delola said peak demand could hit 2,200 MW.  The department expects some 1,400 MW of excess power.

Luzon is the biggest power user, with a peak demand that is five-fold that of the Visayas and Mindanao.

“Out of the three major grids, the biggest growth is happening in Mindanao. But they have a smaller base, so in terms of capacity, [the increase is bigger] in Luzon and in the Visayas.

“It’s really [the] influx of economic development and we’re looking at the possible effects of the electrification program because if we will be able to serve more areas then consumption will increase, as well,” said Delola.

Last week a partial blackout in Mindanao isolated Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and the Zamboanga Peninsula and affected parts of Butuan City, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos and Davao City.

The DOE is still validating the cause of that partial blackout.

The NGCP reported that the tripping was caused by an “intentional toppling” of vegetation to the lines in between the Baloi-Agus 2 138-kV transmission line, which led the NGCP to call the red alert status in the Mindanao Grid.