KIDAPAWAN CITY - The series of power interruptions that hit North Cotabato since Monday were caused by power generation deficiency, according to officials of the Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco), one of the biggest power cooperatives in Central Mindanao.
At least 14 feeders, or transmission lines, that feed power for an electricity substation in at least nine towns in North Cotabato were affected by the power load curtailment, said Felix Canja, Cotelco’s executive assistant to the general manager.
Since Monday, he said, at least 32 megawatts (MWs) of power supplied to the General Santos Area Control Center (GSACC) or the Southwestern Mindanao District are being reduced daily by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).
The GSACC, or the 6th district of the NGCP, is comprised of at least five provinces in southwest Mindanao, including General Santos in South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sarangani, Maguindanao, and Sultan Kudarat.
The district’s load curtailment has increased by more than 100 percent since November last year, said Canja.
The NGCP, in its statement issued to COTELCO, said the load curtailment was due to generation insufficiency, which was brought about by non-availability of generating units, power plant shutdown, and plants undergoing preventive maintenance.
The incidents have reduced the capacity of the supply network going to General Santos City and other parts of southwest Mindanao.
Canja was told the Mindanao power grid was already on a ‘red alert status’, meaning,
The water elevation of Lake Lanao in Lanao del Sur and Pulangi River in Bukidnon, two major sources of hydroelectric power in Mindanao, were already on‘critical level’ due to drought or El Nino phenomenon.
The load shedding has also affected other power cooperatives in Central Mindanao, including the South Cotabato Elective Cooperative 1 and 2, Maguindanao Electric Cooperative (Magelco), Cotelco-Palma, Cotelco-Main, and Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative (Sukelco).
Daily, the load curtailment from 11 a.m., up to 12 noon totaled to 12 megawatts; 24 MWs from 1:30 p.m. up to 2 p.m.; and from 5:45 p.m., up to 6:15 p.m., 32 MWs.
Canja said power deficiency was caused by the shutdown of the Unit 2 of the Agus hydroelectric power plant in Iligan City and the second unit of the Mindanao coal-fired power plant that produces 110 MWs.
The outage of the unit 5 of the Agus hydroelectric power plant, also in Lanao del Sur, has been reduced by 28 MWs.
Also, the capacity of the unit 1 of the Agus was also reduced from 80 MWs to 30 MWs.
As a result, the NGCP’s Southwest Mindanao district is being given 30 MWs less its usual power supply.
“On our end, as a power distributor in North Cotabato, we have to comply with NGCP’s directive, or else, the whole system would be affected,” said Canja. |
