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MANILA, Philippines – Barring any breakdown of power plants, Malacañang expects power interruptions to cease in the Luzon grid.
During a May 17 interview over state-run DZRB, deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Sual power plant in Pangasinan was already operational, while operations in the Pagbilao power plant in Quezon will be restored after a week.
Reports say the Sual plant is expected to be back online by Sunday, May 18. Both coal plants serve the Luzon grid.
Valte added that electricity demand was lower on Friday, May 16. “Based on those projections, it looks like there will be no power interruptions as long as the other power plants will not break down,” she added.
Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla earlier said in a tweet that brownouts were not expected over the weekend.
On Friday, May 16, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) issued a “red alert” over Luzon after both the Sual and Pagbilao plants bogged down.
The Sual plant was shut down earlier in the week due to needed repairs. Pagbilao, meanwhile, encountered problems on Friday, resulting in rotating brownouts in portions of Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Malabon, and Navotas in Metro Manila, and in Marilao, Bulacan.
Details of the Pagbilao emergency shutdown would be provided by the Energy Department, said Valte.
In April 2014, the NGCP warned about a tight power supply due to a glitch in the Masinloc coal-fired power plant. Luzon was put on “yellow alert” starting April 15.
The summer months typically see a tightening of power supply, since the demand for electricity typically exceeds supply. Many plants often schedule maintenance and repairs during the same period. – Rappler.com
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