• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Department of Energy called for cooperation among the generators, distribution utilities, and system operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines in Panay, and for the public to conserve energy, as another blackout hit Western Visayas March 1.
The DOE issued the appeal March 2, adding the expected completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay (CNP) transmission upgrade, and the end of the regular maintenance shutdown of the 135MW Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (PCPC), both by the end of this month, will strengthen the Panay grid.
It said that Panay Island is powered by four large coal power plants, with total capacity of 451 megawatts (MW), and nine smaller diesel/bunker and renewables, with a 220.3MW total capacity.
Aside from generators on the island, 180MW can be drawn from Negros to Panay through a submarine cable, the DOE said, adding that total demand for Panay Island is below 400MW.
The NGCP said the blackout March 1 was caused by the unscheduled shutdown of all Panay Energy Development Corporation plants (PEDC units 1, 2, and 3) with a combined 316MW capacity, closely followed by the tripping of the rest of the power plants in Panay.
It denied that the “tripping of any of its facilities caused the partial blackout in Negros and Panay,” adding that a fire that occurred near its transmission tower in Iloilo, a video of which was posted on social media, “was 15 meters away from the transmission tower” and did no damage.
“The transmission asset also did not trip or register a disturbance prior to the successive generator shutdowns,” the NGCP stressed.
The DOE said that, at 6:59 p.m. March 1, the three units of PEDC went on shutdown resulting in a partial blackout of the Panay sub-grid, and some parts of Negros.
Around 80MW of the power demand of Panay was served initially by the Negros-Panay submarine cable, and later by the smaller power plants on the island. By 9:53 p.m., one of the PEDC units returned online, followed by another PEDC unit by 11:22 p.m., while the third plant was synchronized back to the grid at 8:55 a.m. March 2.
“Short-term solutions by the NGCP, such as using 10 percent head room of the large coal plants as contingency reserve, are currently in place,” the DOE said. “Long-term solutions, such as the energization of several renewable and conventional power plants, and the completion of transmission projects to support the power generation projects and the growth of the load centers, are also in the pipeline.”
The NGCP, meanwhile, reiterated that as power grid operator, it “only manages the transmission highway and balances the available power supply and demand.” | CGC
