Mindanao Power Shortage Worsens

Luzon was spared from rotating brownouts after several power plants were able to reconnect to the grid. Mindanao’s power shortage, however, continued to deteriorate.

Data from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) showed that Mindanao’s power generation deficiency has grown to 578 megawatts from around 350 megawatts a week ago. Peak demand from the region was recorded at 1,400 megawatts, meaning supply was only able to power up nearly half of Mindanao’s electricity use.

The severe power-generation deficiency in the region was attributed mainly to limited available capacities of hydroelectric power plants, most of which have water reservoirs that are drying up because of the El Niño weather phenomenon. Historically, hydro facilities generate more than half of Mindanao’s power supply.

In particular, state-owned National Power Corp.’s (Napocor) Agus hydroelectric power plant has a total available capacity of only 110 megawatts out of its total rated capacity of 727 megawatts. The Pulangi hydro plant, also owned by Napocor, is running at only 30 megawatts out of a total rated capacity of 255 megawatts.

But because of its reliance on hydroelectric facilities, industry officials said that Mindanao may be hard-pressed to improve its supply situation even if the dry spell abates.

“Even if the water levels at the Agus complex and the Pulangi hydro plant are brought back to normal, we will still experience power outages in Mindanao, especially in the South,” said Joseph Nocos, the vice president of Conal Holdings Corp., which is putting up a 200-megawatt coal plant in Maasim, Sarangani.

Reposted from The ManilaTimes.net

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