DOE to address power needs

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Energy (DOE) said yesterday the feared power shortage in Luzon would be addressed if the committed power projects will be on line starting this year.

Emerging from a meeting with President Aquino, Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla said the power projects would provide the additional 500 megawatts (MW) needed in the Luzon grid.

Petilla noted that under the 2012 Power Development Plan (PDP), the projects committed from 2013 to 2016 would provide a total of 868 MW.

Peak demand in Luzon grid is expected to increase at an annual average of 4.13 percent to 16,477 MW in 2030 from only 7,969 MW in 2012.

“The grid will require an additional 500 MW by 2016 and 8,100 MW by 2030. The PDP assumes that there are committed power projects that are expected to be on line starting 2013 until 2015,” Petilla said.

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) chairman Manuel Pangilinan on Wednesday warned that consumers across Luzon may experience frequent blackouts if no new power plants are established to support economic growth.

The committed power projects for 2013 are the 600-MW GN Power in Bataan (expected commercial operation by May 2013), 21-MW bunker power plant of CIP II Power Corp. in Laguna (operational since Jan. 17), Green Future’s 13-MW biomass project (operational since November 2012 but will have full capacity of 13 MW by the first quarter of 2013), the 67.5-MW Pililia wind power plant and the 1.2 MW Landfill and Methane Recovery and Generation Facility in Payatas (operationla by March 2013).

For 2014, a 20-MW Maibarara Geothermal Plant in Batangas has been committed, and in 2015, the 135-MW coal plant in Puting Bato, Batangas and an 11-MW San Jose Power Corp. power rice husk plant in Nueva Ecija.

“In addition to new power plants, there are also uprating and rehabilitation of power plants that will add capacity to the grid. These are the 130 MW additional capacity from Bacman geothermal in Sorsogon and 5 MW per year (2012 -2015) from Binga (Benguet) hydro uprating,” Petilla said.

Meralco officials had warned of possible tight power supply from this year to 2016 due to the country’s strong economic growth.

The Philippine economy grew 6.6 percent last year and is projected to grow by anywhere from 6 percent to 7 percent this year.