DOE: 3 Luzon power plants have yet to return to normal operations

The Department of Energy (DOE) said on Saturday that only three out of the nine power generation plants in Luzon that were shut down by Typhoon Egay have yet to resume normal operations.

These are the NLREC Caparispisan Wind Farm in Ilocos Norte and the Irisan Unit 1 and Ampohaw Unit 1 in Benguet.

In a virtual press briefing, DOE Undersecretary Felix Fuentebella said the shutdown of the three power plants has minimal impact as they collectively account for 88 megawatts compared to the entire capacity of the Luzon power system, which is 16,000 megawatts.

Fuentebella added that the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines reported that transmission services were fully restored on Friday.

The DOE official said 50 out of 62 affected electric cooperatives are now in normal operation.

He said that the National Electrification Administration is focusing its efforts on the four electric cooperatives that are still without power, namely the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative, the Ilocos Sur Electric Cooperative, the Cagayan 2 Electric Cooperative, and the Abra Electric Cooperative.

On Thursday, the DOE reported that at least nine power plants experienced outages "due to outside management control, specifically transient line faults caused by the strong winds, clogged intake due to flash floods, and/or flushing of accumulated silt." — VBL, GMA Integrated News