Mindanao hit by blackouts anew

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has advised its power distributors in Mindanao of a tight power supply following the shutdown of the 105-megawatt unit of the STEAG coal-fired power plant in Misamis Oriental on Sunday.

The Aboitiz Power Corp. owned-Sibulan hydropower plant also announced an emergency repair of one of its plants.

The NGCP pegged the power supply in Mindanao at 127 MW on Tuesday, resulting in blackouts of up to eight hours in some areas.

The NGCP said rotating blackouts would continue until the power plants returned online.

The Davao Light and Power Co. said its consumers would experience up to four hours of power interruption.

Davao Light said its systems operations engineers are coordinating with the NGCP and the National Power Corp. for updates on the power supply situation.

Meanwhile, the NGCP said parts of Zambales would experience a nine-hour blackout today to facilitate the replacement of wood poles and insulators along the Botolan-Candelaria 69 kiloVolt line.

The towns of Iba, Palauig, Masinloc, Candelaria and Sta. Cruz will be affected by the power interruption starting at 8 a.m. – Edith Regalado, Ric Sapnu, Bebot Sison Jr.