Panay needs more power

Panay needs at least 150 megawatts (MW) of additional baseload power capacity to keep up with rising electricity demand and reduce its reliance on power imports from other areas, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said.

Engr. Niel Martin Modina, NGCP assistant vice president and head of Visayas System Operations, said electricity demand on the island has been growing by 10 percent to 12 percent annually.

He said an additional baseload plant capable of supplying at least 150 MW would provide a more stable power source as demand continues to increase.

Panay currently has limited baseload generation capacity, leaving the island more vulnerable to supply shortages when major power plants undergo scheduled maintenance or suffer forced outages, Modina said.

PEDC Unit 3, one of the largest power plants serving Panay, is currently under forced outage, creating a supply gap of about 75 MW that has to be sourced from excess generation in Negros or Luzon.

NGCP assistant vice president and Public Relations Department head Atty. Cynthia Perez-Alabanza said existing generation capacity has struggled to keep pace with Panay’s growing electricity demand, driven in part by continued economic activity on the island.

She also pointed to the age of some power plants, which require regular maintenance and repairs that can temporarily reduce available generation.

NGCP, however, clarified that it does not generate electricity but manages the balance of the Visayas Grid.

The power available to the grid depends on generation from power producers. When supply falls short of demand, NGCP manages the grid by declaring yellow or red alerts and coordinating measures such as manual load dropping (MLD) by distribution utilities.

Modina and Perez-Alabanza stressed that additional generation capacity will be needed as Panay’s electricity demand continues to grow.