Grid operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines placed the Luzon grid on yellow alert for a few hours on Tuesday, one day after the elections after the power reserves stayed thin.
NGCP said the yellow-alert status was raised from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. as the available capacity was placed at 11,749 megawatts against the peak demand of 10,931 MW.
The yellow alert took effect from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. as the available capacity reached 11,162 MW against the 10,182-MW demand.
It was the fifth yellow alert for the Luzon grid for the month of May.
On Monday, the Department of Energy said GNPower Mariveles Coal Plant Ltd. Co.’s Unit 1, which has a dependable capacity of 316 MW out of its 345-MW installed capacity, was on forced outage due to high turbine vibration. GMPC’s technical problem is expected to be resolved at earliest on May 15.
Team Energy Corp’s Pagbilao Unit 1, with a 382-MW dependable capacity, was also on forced outage due to the excessive water leak at the feed water flow sensing line and was expected to be back on normal operation on Tuesday.
The Energy department said SEM-Calaca Power Corp.’s (SCPC) Calaca Unit 2 remained de-rated by 100 MW and was running only at 200 MW due to half condenser operation.
At the same time, Pagbilao Energy Corp.’s Unit 3 had a reduced capacity of 370 MW as it is undergoing boiler condition assessment.
SMC Consolidated Power Corp.’s (SMCCPC) Limay Unit 2 has also been de-rated to 130 MW with its boiler condition under assessment.
The agency also reported that the hydro plants continued to operate below capacity due to low water levels.
Angat Hydropower Corp.’s (AHC) Angat Hydroelectric Power Plant Main Units 1-4 has been de-rated by 172 MW with limited output at 28 MW, while First Gen Hydro Power Corp.’s (FGHPC) Pantabangan Hydroelectric Power Plant Units 1-2 is not available.
SN-Aboitiz Power Inc.’s (SNAP) Binga Hydroelectric Power Plant Units 1-4 is de-rated by 68 MW and operating at 70 MW only, and also due to low water levels.
SNAP-Magat Hydroelectric Power Plant Units 1-4 have a limited capacity of 70 MW, while
SNAP-Ambuklao Hydroelectric Power Plant’s Units 1-3 is de-rated by 35 MW due to low water levels.
For the Visayas, Silay Solar with 25 MW experienced Outside-Managemet-Control (OMC) forced outage at 1235H due to the tripping of Central Negros Electric Cooperative’s 69 kV line. The solar farm will resume operation once the line of CENECO is restored.
For Mindanao, Unit 2 of FDC Misamis, with an installed capacity of 135 MW, was on forced outage due to an induced draft fan trouble but is expected to come back online.
The National Electrification Administration monitored several power outages in various provinces during Monday’s elections.
The NEA Power Task Force Election 2019 reported as of 5:30 pm on Election Day that most of the service interruptions it observed were due to “transient faults,” or momentary disturbances in the electric power distribution system.
These electrical faults were immediately addressed by the concerned electric cooperatives, according to NEA Engineering Department Manager and PTFE team leader Ferdinand Villareal.
The other unscheduled power interruptions that occurred before and during the 12-hour voting period were attributed to busted fuse, tripping of distribution transformers, damaged poles and insulators, among others.
Areas in Luzon that experienced temporary blackouts included parts of Abra, Albay, Batangas, Batanes, Cagayan, Camarines Sur, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Masbate, Nueva Ecija, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Tablas Island and Zambales.
Ifugao Electric Cooperative Inc. reported the longest outage at 8pm Sunday (May 12) due to soil erosion, which toppled four poles affecting the Municipality of Tinoc. Electricity was fully restored by 4:40 pm the next day or after more than 20 hours.
In the Visayas, portions of Aklan, Antique, Bohol, Capiz, Cebu, Iloilo, Leyte, Negros Oriental, Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern Samar, Siquijor and Southern Leyte also encountered minor interruptions.
In Mindanao, power went off briefly in parts of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Cotabato, Davao del Norte, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur.
Basilan Electric Cooperative Inc. also noted an unscheduled interruption at 3:52 pm that affected multiple barangays in the towns of Moh Ajul, Akbar, Tipo-Tipo, Ungkayapukan, Al-Barka, Sumisip and Tuburan. Electricity in these areas was restored by 5:01 pm.
The NEA PTFE will continue monitoring the power situations in the areas covered by the 121 ECs nationwide, especially during the crucial canvassing of votes in the polling places by election authorities, according to Deputy Administrator for Technical Services Artis Nikki Tortola.
NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong formed the task force to help ensure that the ECs would provide adequate and reliable electricity in their respective coverage areas before, during and after the May 13 elections.