GIVEN the rapid population growth and increased investments post-Covid-19 pandemic, Cebu needs to have additional power plants, officials of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said.
This includes strengthening the province’s existing electric power capacity, expanding energy reserves, and facilitating the expansion of businesses and investments in the province.
As of December 18, the Visayas grid had only 240 megawatts (MW) of power reserves, the lowest among those in Luzon and Mindanao.
Visayas’ available generating capacity stood at 2,449 MW and system peak demand at 2,209 MW.
At the NGCP’s Power 101 forum on Dec. 12, 2023, NGCP Assistant Vice President and Public Affairs Officer Attorney Cynthia Perez-Alabanza said that as electricity consumption increases with the full reopening of the economy, Cebu desires more energy capacity.
“Even during the pandemic when everything went to a grinding halt, power consumption hasn’t slowed down. Now, with the economy fully reopening, we are witnessing a substantial surge in power requirements,” said Alabanza.
Cebu, according to the NGCP, accounts for part of the Visayas’ electricity demand. Cebu City, Visayan Electric’s franchise, consumes some of the province’s demand.
“That’s how huge Cebu’s demand is,” Alabanza said, adding that this is why the 52 billion peso Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) is being transferred to Cebu.
“When it comes to energy consumption in Visayas, all roads lead to Cebu,” he added.
Abner Bardoquillo, NGCP’s senior director of network operations for Visayas Systems Operations, Cebu’s need for more domestic plants forces it to reduce its dependence on electric power from neighboring islands.
Alabanza said that the MVIP allows for power sharing between Mindanao and Visayas, so it does not deserve to be relied upon for daily consumption.
“The interconnector is there to ensure the stability of the grid in the event of an emergency,” he said. “The Visayas don’t depend on what they can borrow from the other islands. “
In May 2023, the Visayas grid experienced its electricity demand, reaching a peak of 2,450 megawatts. NGCP also forecasts peak demand in December.
In a separate interview, Felix Taguiam, former president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that if Cebu managed to become self-sufficient in power generation, it could finally solve the problem of the need for electric power in Cebu.
The Ministry of Energy and the NGCP have already cited Cebu as the most sensible site for significant generation capacity additions, such as power plants capable of generating electric power consistently and frequently on a giant scale.
No Alerts
Meanwhile, with the holidays approaching, NGCP sees a stable power outlook in the coming months.
“That’s what we’re seeing right now. There are no shortcomings in the coming months. Neither red nor yellow,” Alabanza said.
But this could change if there would be problems with transmission and if power plants will have unscheduled shutdowns.
“In the past, we have noticed several forced plants being shut down simultaneously. If there are a sufficient number of plants in lockdown, this can have an effect on the overall balance. This occasion has happened many times in the past. ,” she said.
“But at this time, we do not anticipate any network alerts being issued in the coming months. “
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