DOE shores up power supply in Luzon

The Department of Energy is determined to operate the Malaya thermal power plant in Rizal from March until August this year to help shore up supply in Luzon, which is expected to face “tight or thin” reserves during the summer months.

Having thin reserves means that blackouts may occur should a huge power facility bog down during the period.

On the sidelines of a forum hosted by Shell Companies in the Philippines Thursday, Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said that the supply reserves in Luzon could fall to as low as 240 megawatts (MW) starting March—a steep drop from the huge volume of reserves the island usually enjoyed. As of yesterday, Luzon’s reserves stood at 1,393 MW. The minimum volume of reserves should be equivalent to the capacity of the single biggest power unit, which in the case of Luzon, would be about 600 MW.

Visayas will similarly experience thin reserves, while Mindanao will face a power supply shortfall of some 200 MW.

According to Petilla, the Malaya thermal power plant can generate a minimum of 150 MW up to a maximum of 610 MW, depending on the needs of the Luzon grid. It will be a must-run facility.

The energy chief was quick to add that running the Malaya plant will not jack up prices as some quarters feared.

“Take note that when the Malaya plant ran in December 2013, the price was really low. But it’s being called not to tame power prices but to make sure that Luzon will not suffer from brownouts,” he added.