TAGUIG – The Department of Energy (DOE), on instruction of Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, convened the Energy family and the various power generation companies (GenCos) on Tuesday (12 January), to assess the power situation in Luzon and ensure that there will be enough supply, especially during the summer months.
The three-hour meeting, which was organized by the Electrical Power Industry Management (EPIMB) Bureau headed by Undersecretary Emmanuel P. Juaneza, discussed the anticipated issues relative to ensuring sufficient power capacities in the Luzon Grid.
Undersecretary Juaneza, in his opening statement, cited the need to have sufficient power supply and prevent power outages that inconveniences the consumers and disrupts business operations during the country’s recovery from the effects of the pandemic.
“We are constantly reminded by Secretary Cusi that we must ensure the efficient delivery of basic energy services to the people. We have to do better," Usec. Juaneza emphasized.
He also thanked the National Transmission Corporation (TRANSCO), National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM), the GenCos, and the other participants for attending the online meeting “to resolve some issues that may have a significant impact in our upcoming summer season, particularly for the Luzon grid.”
Assistant Secretary Redentor E. Delola, for his part, requested the GenCos for their cooperation and support in terms of arranging their schedules and perhaps, the realignment of their activities to be able to maintain sufficient supply for the grid.
“We have seen a lot of plant outages in the past few weeks and some of these have been extended towards the summer months. Considering the existing maintenance schedules of plants, we may have to realign our activities for the year to ensure the level of sufficient supply,” Asec. Delola pointed out.
Also present in the meeting were representatives from the GenCos, which include First NatGas Power Corporation (FNPC), First Gas Power Corporation (FGPC), Aboitiz Power Corporation (APC), Therma Luzon, Inc. (TLI), Therma Mobile, Inc. (TMO), AP Renewables, Inc. (APRI), GNPower Mariveles Energy Center Ltd. Co. (GMEC), GNPower Dinginin Ltd. Co. (GNPD), San Miguel Energy Corporation (SMEC), Masinloc Power Partners Co. Ltd. (MPPCL), Quezon Power (Philippines) Ltd. Co. (QPL), San Buenaventura Power Ltd. Co. (SBPL), TeaM Sual Corporation (TSC), TeaM Energy Corporation (TEC), Pagbilao Energy Corporation (TEC), Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corporation (SLPGC), Sem-Calaca Power Corporation (SCPC), KEPCO Ilijan Corporation (KEILCO), and AC Energy Inc. (ACEN).
The NGCP presented a “good” power outlook for 2021 based on the DOE forecast and submitted power plant maintenance schedules. However, to improve the situation further, the GenCos requested some adjustments on their schedules.
The DOE advised the GenCos to submit a formal documentation of their requests so that the NGCP will revise the grid maintenance program.
Meanwhile, PSALM assured that Malaya, one of the contingency plants, will be ready in case it will be tapped by the NGCP. PSALM will build up the required fuel inventory by next week, and, as part of preventive maintenance, heat run tests will be conducted anytime this month. TransCo, for its part, said that they are working with the NGCP.
The ERC, during the meeting, briefed the attendees on the recently released resolution adopting the rules for the Interim Reliability Performance Indices and Equivalent for planned and unplanned outages days based on the actual performance of the generating units per technology.
“This is a very good start of the year. What we did today shows the collaboration and cooperation between the DOE and the industry players to guarantee consumers a stable and reliable power supply. I hope this year will be better than what we had last year,” Usec. Juaneza concluded.
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