Alsons Power pitches ancillary services to NGCP

MANILA, Philippines — Alsons Power Group, the power business of the Alcantara family, is pitching to provide ancillary services to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) from its Sarangani diesel plant to ensure the stability of the power grid in south and central Mindanao.

In a statement, Alsons Power said its proposal would help stabilize the power grid in Region 12 or South-Central Mindanao.  

Under the proposed ancillary services procurement agreement (ASPA), NGCP will receive up to 55 megawatts (MW) of electricity from Southern Philippines Power Corp.’s (SPPC) diesel power plant in Alabel, Sarangani.  

Through ancillary services, power generators help ensure the stability of portions of the power grid by reserving and allocating generating capacity that can be dispatched immediately by NGCP in case there are systems imbalances due to tripping of some generating units in the grid or lack of capacity in a particular area of the grid.

Previously, NGCP signed a five-year ancillary services procurement agreement (ASPA) with Western Mindanao Power Corp. (WMPC), a unit of Alsons Power, which operates the 100-megawatt bunker-fired diesel power generating facility in Zamboanga City.

Under the agreement, WMPC will provide dispatchable generating capacity, reactive power support, and black start capability in order to stabilize the power grid in the Zamboanga Peninsula (Western Mindanao/Region 9).

ASPA is currently awaiting approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

SPPC and WMPC have been providing the needed capacity for the Mindanao grid during the period when the island was experiencing a power shortage, said Alsons Power vice president Edgar Sevilles, who heads diesel operations.

This was done through an exclusive energy conversion agreement (ECA) with the National Power Corp.

“Though our ECA with Napocor has ended, the grids in the Zamboanga Peninsula and South-Central Mindanao still need to be assured of the continuous flow of the right quality of electricity and this is why we have offered the ancillary services of our diesel plants in Zamboanga City and Alabel, Sarangani to NGCP,” Sevilles said.

Alsons Power currently operates four power facilities in Mindanao. Aside from the WMPC and SPPC plants, the group also runs the 103-MW Mapalad Power Corp. diesel plant in Iligan City and the first 105 MW section of the 210 MW Sarangani Energy Corp. (SEC) baseload coal-fired power plant in Maasim, Sarangani.