ERC: Power plant shutdown caused Panay outage

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on Wednesday said it is coordinating with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to restore electricity in Panay Island amid the massive power outage in the area.

In a statement, the ERC said the power shortage was caused by the unplanned outages of a Panay sub-grid on Tuesday, January 2. 

“The ERC understands the inconvenience this situation has caused to the consumers of Panay, and we assure the public that every effort is being made to restore power as quickly as possible,” said ERC Chairperson and CEO Monalisa Dimalanta. 

As of 3 p.m., the regulatory body said 198.1 MW of electricity were being served by the Panay power plants. It is being augmented from power sources in the Visayas with an additional 50.9 MW of electricity.

Citing information from the NGCP, the ERC said the grid still needs an estimated 300 MW to stabilize, adding it is waiting for 135MW of electricity from Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (PCPC).

“To enhance communication and keep consumers better informed during this situation, we have requested the NGCP to increase the frequency of updates provided to the public,” said Dimalanta.

“Instead of the regular four-hour updates, NGCP has complied and started to provide hourly updates on their Facebook pages. We have also directed NGCP to include information on the status of ongoing restoration efforts,” she said. 

The NGCP earlier said that the primary cause of the power interruption was the unscheduled maintenance shutdowns of the largest power plants in Panay Island.

Aside from the tripping of three of the largest power generating units and the planned maintenance shutdown of PEDC Unit 3, NGCP said the maintenance shutdowns and deration of plants outside the Department of Energy's (DOE) approved Grid Operating and Maintenance Program also contributed to the lack of power supply.

“We emphasize the need for improved planning to ensure sufficient generation per island, with a well-balanced mix of fuels and technology,” the NGCP added. — BM, GMA Integrated News