CEBU CITY – Power stakeholders in Cebu are bracing for what is likely a power deficit this September as several power plants are expected to temporarily shut down due to regular maintenance.

“By September, power supply in Cebu will be on a big shortage as many power plants will be closed for maintenance in preparation for a surge in demand (for power) this December,” Jesus Alcordo, president of power consortium Cebu Energy Development Corp. said.

Alcordo, who is also president of Global Business Power Corp., said the Cebu-Negros-Panay grid, where Cebu gets bulk of its power supply, requires an average production of 925-megawatts (MW) daily and reserves of at least 100-MW.

However, the grid is now at a 30-percent deficit and is expected to worsen come December, he told a press interview.

In a separate interview with Sebastian Lacson, Visayan Electric Company Inc. (Veco) vice president for administration and customer services, he said the company can assure minimal power interruption this September for consumers in the Metro Cebu area since Veco relies on an interruptible load scheme.

Lacson said the power distribution firm, which requires 300-MW daily, can handle a supply deficit of at most 40-MW to provide electricity in Metro Cebu and its neighboring towns.

He said Veco can source the additional 40-MW supply from customers that have bigger generators.

The interruptible load scheme, Lacson said, is made viable through the implementation of the Visayas Supply Augmentation Auction (VSAA) program that allows generators of multinational companies, including medium to small scale businesses, to sell their un-contracted capacity, and customers to sell an interruptible portion of their loads through an auction process.

Alcordo, for his part, called on government to fast track the realization of VSAA to help mitigate the forecasted supply deficit.

The VSAA was approved by the Energy department in January as an interim solution to the looming Visayas power shortage. The supply situation is projected to remain tight until the first quarter of 2010, when new capacities that are being built are synchronized to the grid.

Some 60 companies in Cebu have earlier affirmed their participation, saying they are ready to utilize their own generator sets during peak hours to help cushion the power supply shortage in the metropolis anytime this year.