Grids in Luzon and the Visayas were again placed under red alert on Thursday after equipment outages reduced available generation capacity below peak demand levels, prompting the dispatch of natural gas-fired power plants to support grid stability.
With separate advice, National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has placed grids in Luzon and Visayas under a red alert from 3 pm to 10 pm.
Yellow alerts were also raised in Luzon from 2 pm to 3 pm and 10 pm to 12 am on May 15. The Visayas grid was also placed under a yellow alert from 10 pm to 11 pm.
A red alert is issued when the available electricity is not enough to meet the demand of consumers and the required facilities. A yellow alert is declared when operating conditions fall below the required emergency level.
According to the NGCP, a total of 4,459 megawatts (MW) were not available from the Luzon grid as several power plants remained offline. As a result, the available capacity dropped to 12,464 MW, below the peak demand of 12,877 MW.
The grid operator said the Tayabas-Ilijan 500-kilovolt (kV) line and the DasmariƱas-Ilijan 500-kV line were restored at 2:44 pm on May 13, allowing the affected plants to sync back to the grid.
Meanwhile, the available capacity in the Visayas grid stood at 2,377 MW, below the peak demand of 2,552 MW, after a total of 902.7 MW of capacity went off.ffline.
In a statement, Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin ordered all affected generating companies to immediately resolve plant problems and restore facilities to full capacity.
“DoE’s priority is to protect consumers and maintain grid stability. We have instructed all affected generating companies to expedite the restoration of affected units as soon as possible,” Ms. Garin said.
Amid the severe capacity shortage in the Luzon grid, major natural gas plants in Batangas were contacted to bolster supply, according to Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara.
Ms. Guevara said the gas-fired power plants operated by Prime CoreGen, a subsidiary of Prime Infrastructure Capital, Inc., were “actively deployed” during the warning period.
Prime CoreGen currently operates First Gen Corp.’s natural gas plants, including the 1,000-MW Sta. Rita Power Plant, the 500-MW San Lorenzo Power Plant, the 450-MW San Gabriel Power Plant, and the 97-MW Airport, following their P50 billion purchase agreement last year.
“Sta. Rita and Ilijan units showed continuous high consumption, ERI (Excellent Energy Resources, Inc.) units showed stable loading during peak, San Gabriel operated at medium levels, and Avion units remained at low but constant output levels,” said Ms. Guevara.
However, insufficient power supply has prompted the NGCP to implement manual load shedding, or intermittent power interruptions, in parts of Luzon and the Visayas to maintain the integrity of the grid.
The affected areas include parts of Metro Manila, Albay, Baguio City, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Batangas, Isabela, and Cagayan.
This outage also affected parts of Cebu, Negros Island, Panay Island, Leyte, Samar, Biliran, and Bohol.
In areas served by Manila Electric Co., the country’s largest independent power distribution company, approximately 1.9 million customers were affected during fifirst red notice issued on May 13. – Sheldeen Joy Talavera
