Co-ops aggravating power crisis in Mindanao

The Department of Energy (DoE) on Wednesday accused electric cooperatives in Mindanao of further aggravating the power supply crunch on the island for failing to observe the provisions of existing contracts and protocols.

Apart from the real shortage of available power supply, what was adding up to the power crisis in Mindanao, based on the DoE’s assessment, was the “non-compliance of some electric cooperatives to nomination, dispatch and curtailment protocols,” the agency said in a statement issued Wednesday.

Energy Secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras explained that there were distribution utilities and electric cooperatives that did not contract enough power supply for their actual needs and have thus been overdrawing power, causing problems in grid management.

The DoE has already instructed National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, operator of the country’s transmission network, to make the necessary technical upgrades so that the distribution system would shift to a mandatory curtailment (or cutting of power) from voluntary curtailment.

He said this would enable NGCP to immediately disconnect those distribution firms, electric cooperatives and other bulk consumers of electricity if they withdraw power beyond what was contracted.

The DoE also noted that there were available generation capacities that were not being used because these were not contracted, or when contracted, were not being dispatched. Power barges that could be moved to Mindanao were being offered by the private sector to provide temporary relief but could not be moved unless these have been appropriately contracted.

“We cannot blame (the private sector’s) hesitation because there is existing generation in Mindanao that is not being contracted,” Almendras noted.

Mindanao is experiencing one to two hours of rotating brownouts, which can worsen to as long as eight hours this summer, unless remedies are put in place.