Mindanao to suffer blackouts again starting August – DOE, Some plants set for maintenance shutdown

MANILA, Philippines - Mindanao would likely experience power outages again beginning August because of the scheduled maintenance shutdown of some plants, Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said the other day.

“Starting August, there will be blackouts again,” Petilla said, although he noted that the power outages may not be as severe as what the region experienced during the summer months.

Last summer, Mindanao experienced power outages of up to 10 hours, depending on the area.

Some power plants in Mindanao will shut down for maintenance activities anytime from July to December 2013, according to data from the Department of Energy (DOE).

Petilla said August would be a critical month when the 210-megawatt (MW) STEAG coal plant in Mindanao shuts down for maintenance from August to November. At least 115 MW of STEAG’s output would not be available, Petilla said.

Similarly, the Pulangi IV hydropower plant also has a scheduled maintenance shutdown on different dates from August to September, which could affect roughly 160 MW.

The Agus 6 hydropower plant is also scheduled to shut down for preventive maintenance on different dates from August to December and which could affect 25 to 50 MW.

Petilla gave assurance that the blackouts would not be as severe as what the region experienced during the summer months.

He also said that it would be better for Mindanao to have the maintenance activities implemented now than in the summer months when demand is at its peak.

He is counting on the modular generator set program approved by President Aquino to help address the problem.

“The target is to start implementing that this year,” Petilla said.

Aquino earlier issued Executive Order 137 mandating the implementation of the Mindanao Modular Generator Sets Program to help avert another critical power situation in the region.

Under the EO-mandated program, electric cooperatives would generate the capacities they need either via the rental or acquisition option.

These gensets would help electric cooperatives address the power supply crunch in the island, according to the EO signed on July 12.

The EO mandates the use of roughly P4.5 billion from the Malampaya funds as loans to Mindanao-based cooperatives to be administered by the National Electrification Administration.

Mindanao-based electric cooperatives source part of their power requirements from the Agus-Pulangi hydropower plant but this is not enough.

The DOE has said that the Mindanao grid would need additional 38 MW this year.

Petilla, however, said the long-term solution is to have new power plants, but these are expected to come in only in 2015.

DOE Mindanao field office director Manuel Llaneza said the Mindanao grid will normalize by the third quarter of 2015 with the 600-MW capacity of baseload plants in the cities of Davao, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro as well as in Sarangani, in addition to short-term measures such as the use of modular generator sets.

“To be able to address the current demand, we need traditional sources of energy, especially since a growing economy translates to increased power consumption,” Llaneza said.

The government is still pushing for the renewable energy program, according to Jesus Tamang, director of DOE’s energy planning and policy bureau.

Tamang said renewable energy sources are known for their seasonality as wind power needs wind and solar plants need sunlight.

The DOE has reportedly been receiving many applications for renewable energy projects and if these would be realized, these would translate to additional power. Biomass projects reportedly make up the bulk of these applications. – With Edith Regalado