- CHERYL G. CRUZ
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said Saturday, April 29, it is “cognizant of the suffering that the recent spates of power interruptions have wrought on the consumers and businesses in the provinces and cities of Panay Island”, including Bacolod and Negros.
It said that it is exploring the possibility that adjustments need to be made along the supply chain to stabilize power in Panay. “In this regard, we are working with our counterparts in the generation and distribution sectors to implement the needed adjustments on our respective protection settings, and resolve the issue soonest.”
As of 10 p.m. April 29, the NGCP said several power plants have synchronized to the Visayas Grid, although outages were still being experienced in Iloilo, Antique, Capiz, Aklan, and Guimaras.
The Central Negros Electric Cooperative said Sunday that, as per the Department of Energy, the Bacolod-Silay 69kV line, maintained by Ceneco and used by NGCP, tripped due to high system frequency, or over-voltage, on April 27 and caused a two 2-hour yellow alert and one-hour red alert, with several generators, totaling 563 megawatts on forced outages.
The incident affected several distribution utilities in Panay Island. The 69kV Bacolod-Silay transmission line was restored around noon Friday, the DOE said.
The tripping of the 69 kV Sta. Barbara transmission line due to high system frequency Friday afternoon, meanwhile, caused outages of multiple power plants, with the NGCP putting the Visayas Grid on yellow alert. Several generators went on forced outages and de-rating, and affected Ceneco, the Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative, Northern Negros Electric Cooperative, and the Negros Oriental Electric Cooperative I and II.
Another yellow alert occurred Saturday, and several generators also went on forced outages and de-rating.
“For the last three days, the NGCP had to balance the system and initiated manual load dropping that caused power interruptions,” the DOE said, adding that to restore the system, power plants were asked to come in and synchronize with the system.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez, meanwhile, stressed that having a reliable and stable power supply amid the dry season is important.
“In the past two days, we have all experienced voltage fluctuations and power outages that may have caused damage to our home and office appliances. That is why we are seeking action and accountability from all concerned agencies,” Benitez said.
The Electric Cooperatives Association of Region VI also sent a letter to the NGCP regarding the unscheduled power outages in Panay, Guimaras, and Negros Islands.
“We understand that the cause of these interruptions involves a generating facility,” ECAR VI president Shirley Laurente, who is the general manager of the Guimaras Electric Cooperative, said in her letter to Engr. Lazaro de la Cruz, district manager of the NGCP Visayas Operations and Maintenance.
“However, as a Grid operator tasked to ensure that the country’s transmission assets are in optimal condition to convey safe, quality, and reliable electricity, we request your assistance for the immediate mitigation and rectification of this issue for millions of our consumers who are in need of electric service,” she added.
In a series of tweets Saturday, the NGCP said it has assessed its system for possible malfunctions, and “confirmed that our protocols are working as intended. We are tirelessly working to determine the root cause of these trippings and to provide a universal solution to restore and stabilize the power supply chain”./CGC
