Mindanao peak power demand hits record on May 8

By Charmaine A. Tadalan – May 9, 2019 | 10:06 pm
from Business World

PEAK POWER demand in Mindanao hit a record 2,013 megawatts on May 8, exceeding the 1,853 MW recorded on Dec. 13, the Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee (MPMC) reported.

The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) also projected that 3,500 MW of new capacity is needed between 2021 and 2030 to support the region’s infrastructure and industry development.

“With the Mindanao economy growing solid at 7.1 % in 2018, primarily driven by our services sector, we can also expect power demand to head for an uptick,” MinDA Assistant Secretary and MPMC technical working group head Romeo M. Montenegro was quoted as saying in a statement Thursday.

Despite increasing demand, MinDA said the power supply remains at comfortable levels with an average of 400-600 MW excess supply.

Peak demand was reached ahead of the midterm election on May 13. On that day, power demand is estimated at around 1,700-1,800 MW, with the expected dependable supply of 2,200-2,500MW.

MinDA has assured there is enough power supply with the Lake Lanao scheduled to discharge water for impounding to the downstream reservoirs.

Mr. Montenegro said sustained economic growth in Mindanao is expected to lead to the development of up to 40 high-rise buildings within 3-5 years.

“At least 40 20-storey buildings are expected to rise in Davao City alone in the next three to five years, with each building requiring at least 5 MW of electricity. It is crucial that power supply moves along this growth trajectory in the long term, thus the need to bring in new and reliable capacities even before the developments get ahead of us,” Mr. Montenegro said.

He added: “The next big challenge is to ensure a balanced mix of energy sources that will provide these new capacities, so we can continue to provide clean, reliable, and affordable power for the consumers.”