Thin supply but no red alerts for Luzon grid this summer

By Lenie Lectura April 23, 2021
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/04/23/thin-supply-but-no-red-alerts-for-luzon-grid-this-summer/

THE Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday assured the public the Luzon grid would be spared from red alerts until June. This means that the grid would have sufficient power reserves meant to avert power outage incidents.

However, the agency acknowledged that power supply could be thin during the summer months until June because some power plants are placed on extended shutdown. As such, a yellow alert could be issued by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

“There is a possibility of yellow alerts during weeks 15-18 [mid-April until first week of May]. We expect another round of yellow alert during weeks 21 to 25 [mid-May until mid-June]. This is because there are power plants that are on extended forced outage and also because of high demand. Magkakaraon ng thinning of reserves for summer months,” said DOE Assistant Secretary Redentor Delola during an online press briefing.

The estimated peak demand of 11,841MW is expected to occur mid-May.

The DOE said it has been closely monitoring the actual day-to-day peak demand in comparison with the projected demand as a basis for its coordination efforts. Since the year-to-date demand profile suggests that the optimistic forecast will not be achieved, the grid would have additional reserve.

“We will have sufficient level of supply as long as there will be no additional outages of big power plants or simultaneous outages of small plants. Given how demand has been moving since the start of the year, we have sufficient level of reserves, about 1,000MW,” said Delola.

Since January 7 of this year, the DOE held coordination meetings with the NGCP, the generation companies, and other electric power stakeholders to address the projected power issues that may lead to insufficiency of power supply.

From these meetings, DOE enjoined TeaM Energy Corporation and Kepco Ilijan Corporation (Keilco) to defer the Planned Maintenance Schedule of Sual Unit 1 (647 MW) and Ilijan Block A (600 MW). While the DOE is yet to receive an official response, both TeaM Energy and Keilco confirmed their deferment of preventive maintenance schedule (PMS) to comply with the “no preventive maintenance policy during peak quarters.”

The DOE also called the attention of the following generation companies that were on outage last March to request information on the outage and estimated time in or resumption of operation:

a. Asia Pacific Energy Corp. (Apec);

b. Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan (CBK) Power Company Ltd;

c. Luzon Hydro Corp. (LHC);

d. First Gas Power Corp. (FGPC);

e. GNPower Mariveles Center Ltd. Co.;

f. Petron Corp.; and

g. Sem Calaca Power Corp.