Battery-powered facilities intended to boost the Visayas power supply are expected to connect to the grid this month, helping to alleviate the yellow and red alerts caused by thin supply margins.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 7th Philippine International Geothermal Conference Sept. 3, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) was originally tasked with installing the facilities by June, but faced delays.
“They’ve assured us now, (the batteries will be installed) within the month, that they will finish it. Because we’re trying to put 200 megawatts of battery all over Visayas, based on our simulation, it would cut the red and yellow alert by 50 percent,” she said.
Garin said one unit of battery-powered facility is already stationed in Negros, though it has yet to be connected to the grid.
To further shore up energy reserves, she said Department of Energy (DOE) officials have also initiated talks with private entities to deploy diesel-powered barges as an additional power source.
Yellow and red alerts were raised over both the Visayas and Mindanao grids this week as power supply fell short due to the forced outages of several power plants.
Garin earlier disclosed that the agency has issued show-cause orders to erring generation companies, requiring them to explain the unavailability of their facilities.
The DOE recently issued a circular strengthening accountability among generation companies, and the secretary said they are continuously assessing the firms’ performance based on this new policy.
“This is a notice to all the gencos (generation companies) that we owe the people better service,” she added. | PNA
