Visayas power plants down, electricity supply thinning — DOE

At least two power plants in the Visayas are currently undergoing restoration, putting pressure on electricity supplies in the island grid, the Department of Energy (DOE) said Tuesday.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) recently placed the Visayas grid under red alert, while the grid has repeatedly been placed under yellow alert in recent weeks.

In a press briefing, DOE Secretary Sharon Garin said Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) Unit 1 in Toledo City, Cebu, and Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) Unit 3 in La Paz, Iloilo City, are both undergoing restoration.

TVI Unit 1 had already been repaired and returned to operation before it malfunctioned again, Garin said.

“That is really frustrating because you cannot... supply is so tight that you cannot afford to punish everyone here and disallow it to operate. You’re stuck with these power plants because kulang talaga (it is really lacking),” Garin said.

Garin said PEDC Unit 3 is expected to remain under restoration until the end of October, with many of the parts needed for the repairs being sourced from other countries.

Energy Undersecretary Mario Marasigan said TVI Unit 1 is suspected to be experiencing heating issues. However, the plant had to be shut down for a “cold reboot” to determine the actual cause of the problem, he said.

Marasigan said he hoped the planned 253-megawatt battery energy storage system would help reduce the frequency of power alerts in the Visayas.

Meanwhile, Garin lamented the condition of the country's power grids, saying the Philippines is still playing catch-up.

"We did not construct [additional capacity] five years ago, so we’re catching up with temporary band-aid solutions," Garin said.

"Hopefully, we can manage this over the next two years, but we need some kind of safeguard so that in case any of these plants [go down], we have a reserve," she added. — MCG, GMA News