DOE: Power supply ‘normal’ in Luzon during Malampaya shutdown

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Energy (DOE) announced on Sunday, July 15 that the power situation in Luzon will continue to be “normal” during the Malampaya platform shutdown from July 13 to 21.

All power plants will be available for dispatch to meet the power supply requirements of the grid, added the DOE. 

The Malampaya gas platform supplies fuel to three power plants in Luzon generating 2,700 megawatts (MW) in capacity. During the shutdown, these gas plants will be running on alternative fuels.

Sta. Rita and San Lorenzo will be operating at their normal capacity of 1000 MW and 510 MW, respectively, while Ilijan will operate one block at a maximum of 450 MW, down from its original capacity of 1,200 MW.

Based on the simulation it did together with NGCP, the repair and rehabilitation of other power plants were completed in time for the July 2012 Malampaya shutdown.

The DOE guaranteed that the power supply will reach at least 8,043 MW, giving it a surplus of 734 MW over the 7,300 MW forecasted peak demand of Luzon.

Consumers are reminded that any Yellow Alert Notice that the Luzon grid may experience does not automatically translate to outages or rotating brownouts.

This only means that the contingency reserves are below the required level set by the regulator, and the Luzon grid will continue to have sufficient supply based on historical customer demand.

Nevertheless, the DOE urged citizens to limit their energy consumption during the Mampalaya shutdown, especially during peak hours.

Consumers should:

• Turn off computers, office equipment or other appliances when not in use
• Switch off lights during lunch breaks or from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
• Maximize the use of daylight whenever possible
• Install energy-efficient lighting such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and slim-type fluorescent lamp tubes like T5. – Rappler.com