CEBU CITY – Leading business organizations in Cebu have voiced their apprehensions regarding the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP)’s announcement of a 200- megawatt (MW) power shortage in the Visayas which began last Saturday, January 30.

Admonished Carlo Co, Chairman of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI)’s Power Core Group said, “The need for sustainable power supply is Cebu's biggest challenge today. A 200-MW power deficit will be a big inconvenience for the businesses here. We hope this will be quickly resolved or else our local economy will suffer.”

According to reports, the NGCP, in announcing the 200-MW power shortage, explained it needed 10 days to conduct preventive maintenance on the Mahanag-dong geothermal power plant in Leyte. That period began last Saturday.

NGCP Corporate Communications Manager, Belinda Canlas said the shortfall will be felt during peak hours on weekday.

Other major power plants in Cebu have momentarily seized operation including the 50-MW Cebu Thermal Power Plant 1 which will be closed for maintenance until Feb. 15 even as the Naga Power Plant Complex’s two gas turbines capable of generating 44 MW are reportedly not operating because of the failure to deliver fuel.

Eric Mendoza, President of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) deems the shortage “unacceptable” and likewise hopes for a speedy solution on the matter.

In an interview, he lamented, “This is something that power stakeholders cannot just take sitting down. In the end, it is always the consumers, especially the large manufacturing companies, the business process outsourcing firms, and households that will take the burden. If this continues for a long time, it will be bad for Cebu.”

For his part, Samuel Chioson, President of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) said while the 10-day power shortage “will seriously affect business in Cebu,” he is optimistic that the power supply deficit is temporary only.

Last Jan. 17, power consortium Cebu Energy Development Corp. had the initial firing of boiler number one of its three-unit 82-MW coal-fired power plant in Toledo City, Cebu. This is expected to generate an additional 246 MW of power to the province this year.

In a related development, Visayas Electric Company, Inc. (VECO) Corporate Communications Manager Ethel T. Natera said the power distribution firm is set to implement on a rotation basis one-hour brownouts to cope with the power deficit. “We will ask our interruptible load program (ILP) participants to deload from the VECO system to help minimize the power supply shortage,” Natera said.

The ILP requires participating companies to use their own generators or plants at certain hours to ease the pressure on the Visayas grid.

“We also call on all customers to help minimize the power supply shortage by undertaking energy conservation measures. Everyone should practice the wise use of electricity,” Natera underlined.