MANILA, Philippines, April 6 ------ Although the demand for electricity has not reached its peak yet, the Department of Energy (DOE) assured the public of a stable power supply in the country even amid the El Niño phenomenon.
Mario Marasigan, DOE assistant secretary, said that while there is a projected shortage in the Visayas, this scenario would occur only if power generation is solely based on the island. He added that connecting the grids, such as the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) and Luzon, could supply the shortage. “We still have a gap of around 2,000 megawatts in Luzon, while Visayas-Mindanao has around 200 to 500 MW,” Marasigan said, citing the latest DOE monitoring and assessment report during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing. “As of the moment, in our monitoring, we are able to maximize the transfer capacity from Mindanao to Visayas, and that is sufficient enough to provide supply to the Visayas,” he said, adding that Mindanao has an “excess” capacity.
Marasigan noted that the system operator assured them last week that the transfer capacity from Cebu to Panay, which went up to 200 MW from 180 MW, is available. “This means we have an additional transfer capacity of around 400 MW because of the new line,” he said. According to Marasigan, the DOE might declare a yellow alert status if the demand will reach its peak this month. The Luzon grid is also projected to experience a yellow alert status this month or in May.
The Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) last week said the MVIP improved the supply in the Visayas and Luzon grids. Warren Manalo, IEMOP assistant manager of market simulation and analysis, said the Mindanao to Visayas grid could import up to 450 MW, which would allow Mindanao to have “enough supply.” “The excess capacity helps to augment the capacity needed in the Visayas and Luzon grid,” he added.
Source: philstar.com