Malacañang yesterday admitted that Mindanao still experiences power outages due to generation deficiency.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda cited the statement of Department of Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada regarding the outages in the region.
“Per monitoring, the ongoing blackouts in some parts of Mindanao is due to generation deficiency. The distribution utilities which have shortfall in contracts continue to experience brownouts,” said Monsada.
“We note, however, that the recent toppling of 2 transmission towers have reduced available supply by 80-90 MW from Agus 1 and 2 and further expanded the shortfall of distribution utilities drawing power from these plants,” Monsada said.
“This is apart from the continued concern on the growth of vegetation along the right of way of transmission lines which have tripped lines and resulted to brownouts in several instances this year,” the DoE chief said.
“Upon the request of the DoE, the OES has coordinated with DND [Department of National Defense] and DILG [Department of the Interior and Local Government] to secure clearing operations under the transmission lines. We join the appeal of the DoE to allow for the clearing operations to ensure stable supply of power,” the DoE secretary also said.
A report posted on the DoE Web site said Davao residents will have to endure more blackouts lasting more than two hours “for more than a week or more.” The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines said that it was still completing rehabilitation work on its towers that were severely damaged by a recent bomb attack.
Last Oct. 29, the NGCP reported the bombing and destruction of its towers in Marawi City that transmit 260-MW power from Agus 1 and 2 complexes to various areas in Southern Mindanao.
NGCP said it would take around seven to 10 days to complete the restoration works on the facilities.
In a press conference on Monday afternoon in Davao, Davao Light and Power Company Executive Vice President and CEO Arturo Milan said they could not give their consumers a definite date when the blackouts would end.
Apart from the bomb attack, Milan said low water supply at the Agus Pulangi hydropower complexes of the National Power Corporation that added to the unstable power supply in Mindanao.
At present, DLPC has a contracted power of 407.50 megawatts from various suppliers that include those from the National Power Corporation plant with 274 MW, Hedcor Sibulan with 49.50 MW, Hedcor Talomo with four MW Therma Marine with 30 MW and Therma South with 50 MW.
With the current peak demand of 348 MW, DLPC was still supposed to have a net over supply of 59.50 MW out of the total contracted power.
Milan said actual distribution of power from suppliers has been low and could no longer cope with the peak demands in the city.
As of Monday afternoon, the actual supply of power coming into DLPC during off peak hours from 10 pm to 8 a.m. was only 234 WM, short of around 23.12 MW from the total demand of 257.12 MW.
During morning peak hours from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., suppliers could only provide around 228 MW of power or 93.66 MW short of the actual demand of 321.66 MW.
From 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., only 225 MW out of the 337.33 MW demand could be supplied for a shortage of 82.33 MW.