by Lenie Lectura, January 21, 2015
from BusinessMirror
The Department of Energy (DOE) could only hope for now that no more power plant will conk out anytime soon, as latest data indicate that a total of 2,532 mega-watts (MW) of power have already been shaved off from the Luzon grid due to forced and scheduled shutdown of power plants.
Among the power plants that are on scheduled maintenance shutdown include Malaya Unit 1 (300 MW), GN Power Unit 2 (300 MW), Masinloc Unit 2 (315 MW) and Quezon Power (460 MW).
Malaya 1, which was shut down since March 31, 2014, due to high turbine vibration, is expected to be back on line in July; GN Power 2, which went on a planned outage since December 30, 2014, will be back on line in March; Masinloc 2, which is on a scheduled annual maintenance outage since January 1 this year, will be restored by the end of January; and Quezon Power, which also underwent a scheduled maintenance since January 17, is expected to resume operation by February 25.
Meanwhile, the power plants that went on forced outage include the Limay 6 (60 MW), due to high turbine vibration; Limay 8 (100 MW), due to undetermined cause; Malaya 2 (350 MW), due to main fuel heater leak; GN Power 1 (300 MW), due to actuation of generator fault problem; Tiwi 2 (27 MW), due to low vacuum; Ilijan A, due to undetermined cause; and BacMan 2 (20 MW), due to still-undetermined cause.
It is not unknown as to when the Limay units, Malaya 2, GN Power 1, Tiwi 2 and BacMan 2 are expected to be back on line. Ilijan A, however, is expected to resume operations on Februar
The Department of Energy (DOE) could only hope for now that no more power plant will conk out anytime soon, as latest data indicate that a total of 2,532 mega-watts (MW) of power have already been shaved off from the Luzon grid due to forced and scheduled shutdown of power plants.
Among the power plants that are on scheduled maintenance shutdown include Malaya Unit 1 (300 MW), GN Power Unit 2 (300 MW), Masinloc Unit 2 (315 MW) and Quezon Power (460 MW).
Malaya 1, which was shut down since March 31, 2014, due to high turbine vibration, is expected to be back on line in July; GN Power 2, which went on a planned outage since December 30, 2014, will be back on line in March; Masinloc 2, which is on a scheduled annual maintenance outage since January 1 this year, will be restored by the end of January; and Quezon Power, which also underwent a scheduled maintenance since January 17, is expected to resume operation by February 25.
Meanwhile, the power plants that went on forced outage include the Limay 6 (60 MW), due to high turbine vibration; Limay 8 (100 MW), due to undetermined cause; Malaya 2 (350 MW), due to main fuel heater leak; GN Power 1 (300 MW), due to actuation of generator fault problem; Tiwi 2 (27 MW), due to low vacuum; Ilijan A, due to undetermined cause; and BacMan 2 (20 MW), due to still-undetermined cause.
It is not unknown as to when the Limay units, Malaya 2, GN Power 1, Tiwi 2 and BacMan 2 are expected to be back on line. Ilijan A, however, is expected to resume operations on February 25.
As of January 21, Luzon grid’s power reserve stood at 1,717 MW even as demand has hit 6,831 MW.
Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla said there are still no reported power outage incidents in Luzon amid the high number of power plants going offline because demand is still manageable.
“The grid’s condition is still white, meaning normal. The cool weather keeps the demand low. We are hoping for the best,” he said when sought for comment.
Separately, data from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) three-year grid-operating program showed Masinloc 1 (315 MW) is scheduled for a shutdown from March 1 to 12; the Santa Rita 1 (250 MW), March 7 to 11; LimayA1 (60 MW), March 15 to 22; Limay A2 (60 MW), May 24 to 31; Limay A4 (90 MW), February 5 to 7; and Lima yB1 (60 MW), April 8 to 15.
Some hydropower plants are also expected to go offline. These include the Angat, Binga, Magat, Pantabangan, Bakun, Casecnan and San Roque.
For now, the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) is till the government’s solution to address Luzon’s power woes. It banks on the issuance of a joint resolution that will grant President Aquino “special powers” to make the program work.
“As far as I am concerned, the ILP can still be recruited up to the start of summer but we need Congress’s issuance of the joint resolution for this to be operational,” Petilla had said.
ILP works by calling on business customers with loads of at least 1 MW to run their own generator sets, if needed, instead of drawing power from the grid.
Based on latest ILP figures, the program is still not enough to cover for the projected power-supply gap. Still, the DOE continues to hold negotiations with prospective ILP participants.
“In times like this, we need the collective effort and assistance of those who are willing to extend their hands…our search has never been in vain. In fact, ILP participants have been growing, reflecting the private sector’s role in this initiative,” Petilla said.
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As of January 21, Luzon grid’s power reserve stood at 1,717 MW even as demand has hit 6,831 MW.
Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla said there are still no reported power outage incidents in Luzon amid the high number of power plants going offline because demand is still manageable.
“The grid’s condition is still white, meaning normal. The cool weather keeps the demand low. We are hoping for the best,” he said when sought for comment.
Separately, data from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) three-year grid-operating program showed Masinloc 1 (315 MW) is scheduled for a shutdown from March 1 to 12; the Santa Rita 1 (250 MW), March 7 to 11; LimayA1 (60 MW), March 15 to 22; Limay A2 (60 MW), May 24 to 31; Limay A4 (90 MW), February 5 to 7; and Lima yB1 (60 MW), April 8 to 15.
Some hydropower plants are also expected to go offline. These include the Angat, Binga, Magat, Pantabangan, Bakun, Casecnan and San Roque.
For now, the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) is till the government’s solution to address Luzon’s power woes. It banks on the issuance of a joint resolution that will grant President Aquino “special powers” to make the program work.
“As far as I am concerned, the ILP can still be recruited up to the start of summer but we need Congress’s issuance of the joint resolution for this to be operational,” Petilla had said.
ILP works by calling on business customers with loads of at least 1 MW to run their own generator sets, if needed, instead of drawing power from the grid.
Based on latest ILP figures, the program is still not enough to cover for the projected power-supply gap. Still, the DOE continues to hold negotiations with prospective ILP participants.
“In times like this, we need the collective effort and assistance of those who are willing to extend their hands…our search has never been in vain. In fact, ILP participants have been growing, reflecting the private sector’s role in this initiative,” Petilla said.
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