Over 1000MW power reserve ready for Luzon this summer

Of that total, 739.58 MW will come from the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) of the DOE.

So far, 252 ILP participants have committed to joining the program. There are also 15 more prospective ILP participants, with a potential of 33.68 MW of de-loading capacity.

The remaining 297 MW will be sourced from various power plants that are undergoing rehabilitation and uprating.

The power facilities that are expected to generate additional capacity from end-February up to May of this year include:

• The 100MW Avion open cycle natural-gas power plant of First Gen
• The 100MW Navotas diesel power plant of Millennium Energy Incorporated
• The 36MW Limay combined cycle (CC) power plant of Matshushita Electric Industrial Company
• The 20MW Bauang diesel power plant of First Gen Corporation
• The 20MW Botocan hydro power plant
• The 21MW solar power project of Majestic CEZ

For rehab, uprating

The Avion power project is expected to be completed by April 15 but its output will only be available early May. This is because it will be using natural gas supplied by the Malampaya facility, which is scheduled to undergo maintenance shutdown from March 15 to April 14.

The rehabilitation of the Navotas power plant is currently ongoing and is expected to be completed by March 15, pending the issuance of permits and connection to the nearest transmission line facility.

The uprating of Limay CC and Bauang power facilities will be completed by early March, while the Botocan facility is set for completion by end-February.

Commissioning for the solar project of Majestic CEZ is also ongoing and is targeted to begin commercial operation also by end-February. It is currently awaiting the notice to operate from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

The DOE mentioned that there are other power plants that could help address the shortage but did not include them in the list because it is not known when they will be available.

An example is the Malaya Unit 1 which could contribute an additional 300MW. The facility is undergoing an overhaul and only 50% of rehabilitation work has so far been completed.

The DOE is still pushing for the ILP as its solution to the looming shortages.

The ILP can still be recruited up to the start of summer but the Congress’s issuance of the joint resolution is needed for the measure to push through, DOE Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla had earlier said. (READ: Palace reiterates need for emergency powers) – Rappler.com