NGCP assures readiness for blackouts

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said it is ensuring its systems are ready to cope with natural calamities and restore power in the event of partial or total blackouts. NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said the grid operator has conducted its annual blackout simulation drills to prepare its operations people for emergencies affecting the Luzon and Mindanao power grids. The emergency drills took place April 14 but details were made public only on Tuesday. Alabanza also said drills for the Visayas grids will be done next month. The Visayas grid connects the islands of Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Samar. The Philippine Grid Code (PGC) requires that emergency drills “simulate realistic emergency situations" and be done at least once a year “to familiarize all personnel responsible… with the emergency and restoration procedures." The Energy Regulatory Commission issued the PGC in 2001 to establish standards for the high-voltage transmission system of the country. The drills last April involved some 300 personnel from the company’s systems operations and substation groups who “executed tabletop exercises and actual black start restoration." According to the PGC, black start is “the process of recovery from total system blackout using a generating unit with the capability to start and synchronize with the system without an external power supply." The NGCP also said it helped complete the Agno River Flood Forecasting and Warning System. It also provided the lot in Nueva Ecija where the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA) will erect a 20 meter-high communications tower serving as the main relay station connecting northern Luzon to PAGASA’s main office in Quezon City. — ELR/VS, GMA News