Brownouts torment Luzon grid anew – NGCP

By Myrna M. Velasco – June 20, 2019, 10:00 PM
from Manila Bulletin

With de-rated hydro power generation and several plants still on forced outages, parts of Luzon grid had been distressed anew with brownouts.

System operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) declared “red alert” or no power reserves situation in the grid at 11 a.m.; then at 2-4 p.m.

Based on the advisory of Manila Electric Company (Meralco), heavily hit with power interruptions on Thursday (June 20) had been several cities and municipalities of Cavite, including General Trias, Maragondon, Naic, Tanza, Ternate and Trece Martirez City.

The utility firm indicated that it also called on entities under the interruptible load program (ILP) to run their generating sets to take demand off from the system.

NGCP logged peak demand on Thursday at 11,247MW vis-a-vis available capacity in the system at 11.286MW. That left a very marginal reserve capacity then of 139MW.

During the brownout period that struck at past 3:00pm, the weather was not exactly that high at 33 to 34 degrees, manifesting then a power system that is lurking in a danger of power crisis.

Even for the de-rating of the hydros, the capacity shaved off had just been at 476 megawatts; and over 700MW from the forced outages of four generating facilities.

The main power grid of the country is seen badly in need of new capacities, and the investing community is already on a catch-up mode with much needed future capacities.