Mindanao is now feeling the effects of El Niño phenomenon that has affected the operations of the Agus and Pulangi Hydropower Complexes (APHC), which supplies nearly half of the island’s power supply.
In South Cotabato, local power distributor South Cotabato 1 Electric Cooperative (SOCOTECO 1) carried out one-hour rotational power interruption in its service area on Friday because of reduced power allocation from the National Power Corporation – Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (NPC-PSALM) and Mt. Apo geothermal power plants.
Citing report from NPC, the Mindanao Development Authority reported that water level in Lake Lanao is reaching critical level at 699.86 meters above sea level as of October 30. The lake’s minimum operating level is 966.15 meters above sea level.
Pulangi IV has reduced production to only 60 megawatts on October 30 from 144 MW four days earlier.
Meanwhile, Agus Hydropower Plants only produced 214 MW with zero production from Agus 1 and Agus 2 due to reported tripping of the 138 kV Agus-Kibawe Transmission Line on October 29.
On October 30, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reported a peak deficiency of 166 MW on October 30.
According to the NGCP’s power outlook for November 2. power reserve in Mindanao grid is at -33 MW.
Romeo Montenegro, MinDA public affairs chief, said, MinDA and the MinDA is closely coordinating and monitoring the situation together with the other members MPMC and determining the extent of the recent events to the operations of electric cooperatives and distribution utilities.
“Despite the current situation, we are still confident that by 2016 Mindanao will have a better power situation with the entry of base load power plants, reducing our dependency to Agus and Pulangi hydro,” Montenegro said.
SOCOTECO 1 General Manager Santiago Tudio confirmed in a radio interview that the one-hour load curtailment on Friday was due to the reduction of supply from the Mindanao grid.
“Our supply from NPC was reduced to 2.5 MW from 5 MW. We are short by more than 6 MW,” Tudio explained, adding that the interruption could have been longer if not for the 12MW power supply from the diesel-fired modular generator sets that the cooperative have rented from Mapalad Power Corporation beginning 2013.
Tudio also expressed confidence that power situation in South Cotabato could improve in 2016 with two power projects nearing completion.
The 5MW solar power plant of the NV VOGT Philippines Solar Energy One is expected to begin operations around the first week of December. Earlier, it was reported to start production in November.
Additional power will also be added to the power supply in South Cotabato once the 11.9 MW bunker-fuel powered plant in Barangay Matulas, this city start production.
Said power plant is being built by SOCOTECO 1 and Supreme Power and is expected to begin operation in the later part of December. (DEDoguiles-PIA 12)