Despite 'no work weekend', Luzon grid on 11-hour 'yellow alert'
Published Apr 27, 2019 04:11 pm
By Myrna Velasco and Mario Casayuran
On a Saturday when most offices and business establishments are closed, Luzon grid was placed on 11-hour yellow alert due to insufficient power reserves in the system.
National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (MANILA BULLETIN)
System operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) raised “yellow alert condition” in the country’s biggest power grid from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
A yellow alert condition in the electricity system does not necessarily result in rotating brownouts, but this means there are not enough available reserves when power plants suffer forced outages.
And for it to happen on a low-demand weekend, this could be symbolic of more serious problems in the country’s electricity supply-demand outlook, the worst case scenario being an impending power crisis.
Based on NGCP’s forecast, gross power reserves in the morning was just 360 megawatts which are not even enough to cover the need of the system when the biggest power generating unit in the grid – the 647-megawatt (MW) unit of the Sual plant – conks out.
During the peak demand hour in the afternoon which is usually between noon to 3 p.m., reserve just stood at very minimal 159 MW and a precarious 362 MW in the evening.
Peak demand on Saturday was projected to reach 10,074 megawatts.
The highest capacity of the power plants made available in the system for the day was 10,638 MW.
Industry stakeholders have indicated “error in planning” by the Department of Energy (DOE) because “forced outages” in power plants cannot be avoided and instead of just factoring in dependable capacity, they recommended that the department should have carefully assessed the running capacity of the plants and the transmission capability of the lines.
National Power Corporation (NPC) President Pio J. Benavidez said in planning strategy for the summer season, the capacities of the hydro plants shall be set at zero and the DOE must look at the maximum operating capacity of the plants, not just the dependable capacity.
In the technical capabilities of the plants, Benavidez noted that it is also prudent to assess the corrosion and thermal stress being suffered by generating facilities because these could contribute to the recurrent forced outages of power plants.
Solar Philippines which operates a 150-megawatt solar power plant in Tarlac said its operation is rightly timed for the recurring power supply shortage in Luzon.
The solar facility is under a power supply agreement with Manila Electric Company (Meralco), at a rate of P2.9999 per kilowatt hour (kwh), the lowest benchmark price for such technology type at the signing of their supply deal.
“The Tarlac solar farm has a capacity of 150 MW which can help address the Luzon grid’s power shortage, which in recent days had ranged from 100 to 200 MW,” Solar Philippines President Leandro Leviste said.
“The additional supply means averting rotating blackouts for up to 500,000 households, bigger than the entire residential demand of Tarlac,” Leviste added.
Revisit EPIRA law
Meanwhile, former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile is urging Congress to revisit the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) Law following power outages in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.
Enrile, who was the only senator who opposed EPIRA when it was passed in 2001, said the law failed to fulfill its promise to reduce electricity rates.
Enrile, who is seeking a return to the Senate lamented reports that power rates are poised to go up following widespread power shortages in Luzon the past few weeks.
“Consumers are the ones suffering the most. They are already being hit by these power outages, and yet they have to pay more with bigger electricity bills due in the following months,” Enrile said.
On April 12 and 15, rotating power outages were imposed in several areas in Metro Manila and Luzon after the NGCP warned the public of low power reserves.
According to the DOE, the power shortfall was caused by a series of unplanned shutdowns in a number of power plants run by San Miguel Consolidated Power Corporation, TeaM Energy Corporation, Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corporation, Pagbilao Energy Corporation, and South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation.
Other plants were also undergoing scheduled maintenance.
“It is baffling why all of these power plants had problems simultaneously. An investigation on this is in order because there is always a possibility of collusion among power plant players to increase power rates. On the other hand, if there is no collusion, the government should still look into any common technical or other problems that could affect the country's supply in the long term,” he pointed out.
“We cannot sit on our hands waiting for the next series of power outages to happen again,” he added.
For the same reason, Enrile, an advocate of consumer protection, said it is high time that the government reviews its concessions agreement with power firms.
“Lumabag ba sila (power firms) sa concession agreement? (Did they violate the concession agreement?),” he asked.
National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (MANILA BULLETIN)
System operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) raised “yellow alert condition” in the country’s biggest power grid from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
A yellow alert condition in the electricity system does not necessarily result in rotating brownouts, but this means there are not enough available reserves when power plants suffer forced outages.
And for it to happen on a low-demand weekend, this could be symbolic of more serious problems in the country’s electricity supply-demand outlook, the worst case scenario being an impending power crisis.
Based on NGCP’s forecast, gross power reserves in the morning was just 360 megawatts which are not even enough to cover the need of the system when the biggest power generating unit in the grid – the 647-megawatt (MW) unit of the Sual plant – conks out.
During the peak demand hour in the afternoon which is usually between noon to 3 p.m., reserve just stood at very minimal 159 MW and a precarious 362 MW in the evening.
Peak demand on Saturday was projected to reach 10,074 megawatts.
The highest capacity of the power plants made available in the system for the day was 10,638 MW.
Industry stakeholders have indicated “error in planning” by the Department of Energy (DOE) because “forced outages” in power plants cannot be avoided and instead of just factoring in dependable capacity, they recommended that the department should have carefully assessed the running capacity of the plants and the transmission capability of the lines.
National Power Corporation (NPC) President Pio J. Benavidez said in planning strategy for the summer season, the capacities of the hydro plants shall be set at zero and the DOE must look at the maximum operating capacity of the plants, not just the dependable capacity.
In the technical capabilities of the plants, Benavidez noted that it is also prudent to assess the corrosion and thermal stress being suffered by generating facilities because these could contribute to the recurrent forced outages of power plants.
Solar Philippines which operates a 150-megawatt solar power plant in Tarlac said its operation is rightly timed for the recurring power supply shortage in Luzon.
The solar facility is under a power supply agreement with Manila Electric Company (Meralco), at a rate of P2.9999 per kilowatt hour (kwh), the lowest benchmark price for such technology type at the signing of their supply deal.
“The Tarlac solar farm has a capacity of 150 MW which can help address the Luzon grid’s power shortage, which in recent days had ranged from 100 to 200 MW,” Solar Philippines President Leandro Leviste said.
“The additional supply means averting rotating blackouts for up to 500,000 households, bigger than the entire residential demand of Tarlac,” Leviste added.
Revisit EPIRA law
Meanwhile, former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile is urging Congress to revisit the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) Law following power outages in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.
Enrile, who was the only senator who opposed EPIRA when it was passed in 2001, said the law failed to fulfill its promise to reduce electricity rates.
Enrile, who is seeking a return to the Senate lamented reports that power rates are poised to go up following widespread power shortages in Luzon the past few weeks.
“Consumers are the ones suffering the most. They are already being hit by these power outages, and yet they have to pay more with bigger electricity bills due in the following months,” Enrile said.
On April 12 and 15, rotating power outages were imposed in several areas in Metro Manila and Luzon after the NGCP warned the public of low power reserves.
According to the DOE, the power shortfall was caused by a series of unplanned shutdowns in a number of power plants run by San Miguel Consolidated Power Corporation, TeaM Energy Corporation, Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corporation, Pagbilao Energy Corporation, and South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation.
Other plants were also undergoing scheduled maintenance.
“It is baffling why all of these power plants had problems simultaneously. An investigation on this is in order because there is always a possibility of collusion among power plant players to increase power rates. On the other hand, if there is no collusion, the government should still look into any common technical or other problems that could affect the country's supply in the long term,” he pointed out.
“We cannot sit on our hands waiting for the next series of power outages to happen again,” he added.
For the same reason, Enrile, an advocate of consumer protection, said it is high time that the government reviews its concessions agreement with power firms.
“Lumabag ba sila (power firms) sa concession agreement? (Did they violate the concession agreement?),” he asked.