Luzon power supply back after ‘major system trouble’

MANILA, Philippines – Five out of 6 power plants that shut down and triggered the widespread power outage in parts of Luzon Wednesday afternoon, May 8, have been restored by midnight the same day, the Department of Energy (DOE) said.

Director Mylene Capongcol of the DOE Electric Power Industry Management Bureau told Rappler that the following power plants have gone back online:

• Ilijan Natural Gas Block A (1,200 MW capacity) in Batangas
• Sual 1 Coal (1,000 MW) in Pangasinan
• Santa Rita and San Lorenzo Module 1-6 (1,500 MW) in Batangas
• 1590EC (180 MW) in La Union
• QPPL (208 MW) in Quezon Province

The condition of Calaca 1 and Calaca 2 (MW 520) in Batangas is still being evaluated by the transmission company National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), but it would no longer affect the power supply as there are other available power units, according to Capongcol.

“The plant is OK but we agreed that it not be restored pending review,” Capongcol said, echoing the statement of power sector stakeholders present in a meeting convened by Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla, Wednesday night, May 8.

The meeting was attended by power generators, the NGCP, MERALCO, the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo), the Grid Management Committee, and the DOE-led Task Force Halalan.

During the meeting, Petilla impressed on NGCP that the incident should not happen again, Capongcol said. 

The widespread power failure, which took place 5 days before the May 13 polls, involved power plants that contribute about half of Meralco’s 7,000 MW supply needs and about 45% of the entire Luzon grid’s up to 8,300 MW requirements. – Rappler.com