Sual back online; brownouts in most of Luzon avoided

Most of Luzon can expect to have no more brownouts starting today, after one of two power plants that conked out on Sunday went back online. Unit 1 of the Sual power plant in Pangasinan has been online since 6:03 on Tuesday morning, Greg Romualdez, external affairs head of Team Energy Philippines, said in an interview. Romualdez said the Sual unit was already connecting to the Luzon power grid, which in turn is able to provide sufficient electricity. He noted that although load management is not their turf — plant operator Team Energy is only a power supplier and not a distributor — he does not see any reason for further power interruptions. The shutdown of the Sual and Masinloc power plants forced Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to implement rotating brownouts in Metro Manila and nearby provinces on Monday. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said on Tuesday Masinloc 1 was still undergoing technical problems and won’t go back online until March 7. The NGCP, the private operator of the state’s transmission lines, earlier said power supply in Metro Manila would normalize should any two of the Sual, Calaca, and Sta Rita plants be online today even if Masinloc remains off the grid. In a report on Monday, the NGCP said Luzon supply could be supplemented as early as Monday evening with First Gas Power Corp.’s 250-MW Sta. Rita module 30 expected to come online with an initial output of 130 MW. The NGCP reported that the Luzon grid had only 6,177 megawatts (MW) in available capacity on Monday, 478 MW short of the peak demand of 6,655 MW. The Luzon grid was considered in an "alert" state as the contingency reserve — in Monday’s case in the red — was less than the capacity of the system’s largest generating unit. Meralco, the country’s largest electric utility which serves Metro Manila and nearby provinces, said rotating power interruptions had been implemented in its franchise area. Romualdez told GMA News’ Balitanghali on Monday that the problem, which had been caused by a tube leak, was not major and would take a few days to fix. (See: Metro Manila may experience three-hour brownouts) The shutdown of the plants occurred less than two weeks after Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes declared the Luzon power situation "resolved." On Monday, National Power Corp. spokesman Dennis Gana said the tube leak is a "regular occurrence" that may be caused by a number of factors. "Sometimes the pressure is too strong, because the steam that powers the generator from the boiler goes through that tube," Gana told dzBB radio in Filipino. ‘Much better’ Joe Zaldarriaga, Meralco external communications spokesman, told GMANews.TV the power situation was "much better" today because few areas will experience brownouts due to "manual load dropping." Some areas that may still be affected include Batangas City, San Jose and San Pascual in Batangas province; and Baliwag and Bustos in Bulacan province. Zaldarriaga said the brownouts could last for about an hour from 1-3 p.m. — the period when a power deficiency is usually observed. He said they would upload the complete schedule on the Meralco Web site shortly after noon. Zaldiarraga earlier told dzBB radio the Luzon grid was now on yellow alert — from red on Monday — since the power supply from the NGCP was sufficient. Meralco customers may call the Meralco hotline (16211) or send a text message with their name and service identification number to 09209292824 or 09175592824 for details. Last February 16, the Energy department’s Reyes assured Luzon residents of "uninterrupted power up to June." The energy secretary urged lawmakers at a hearing of the House energy committee on Monday to support his proposal that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo be granted emergency powers — allowed under the 2001 Electric Power Industry Reform Act — to deal with a power lack in Mindanao. The House body approved a proposal asking the President to declare a power crisis in Mindanao. The committee also asked the President to call Congress to a special session where both chambers can pass a joint resolution to address the Mindanao problem. (See: House panel asks Arroyo to declare power crisis in South) Last month, the Energy department warned of brownouts in Luzon after Sual 1 conked out at a time when several plants were undergoing preventive maintenance. The situation, Reyes had said then, was addressed after San Miguel Energy Corp.’s 620-MW Limay came online ahead of schedule and fuel issues at the 650-MW, two-unit Malaya power plant in Rizal were resolved. — NPA, GMANews.TV