9-hour power outage to hit Mindanao — NGCP

KIDAPAWAN CITY — The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines confirmed over the weekend it will implement a nine-hour power outage in various parts of Mindanao in southern Philippines, starting Monday. In a letter to local electric cooperatives, NGCP Mindanao system operation head Maxim Adiong attributed the impending power outage to the Maramag-Kibawa 138-kilovolt transmission shutdown in Bukidnon province. For his part, Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco) spokesperson Felix Canja said the temporary shutdown is also necessary to fix the Maramag-Bunawan 230-kilovolt transmission line. “NGCP Mindanao has asked our cooperative and other power firms to implement the voluntary load curtailment in order for them to facilitate smooth working condition over the prescribe time limits," Canja told a local radio station here. Cotelco supplies electricity to 17 towns in Cotabato province. It is set to shutdown its sub-stations at 9 a.m. Monday. Canja said the outage will also affect other power firms such as South Cotabato Electric Cooperative 1 and 2; Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative; Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative; Maguindanao Electric Cooperative and the Cotabato Light and Power Co. Inc. in Cotabato City. “We appeal to our power concessionaries to bear with us since this is a voluntary curtailment requested by the NGCP to our cooperative," added Canja. —Williamor Magbanua/Sophia Dedace/VS, GMANews.TV