MORE sporadic brownouts were experienced in Metro Cebu yesterday after SPC Power Corp. (SPC) in Naga, Cebu failed to comply with its load requirements allegedly due to a boiler tube leak.

Belinda Canlas of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said that because of the forced outage, the Luzon grid augmented the Visayas grid’s limited
power generation. This, however, wasn’t enough.

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Ethel Natera, corporate communications manager of the Visayan Electric Co., (Veco) said the NGCP asked them to deload 42 megawatt (MW) for yesterday after-noon’s peak.

She said that uninterruptible load customers and Cebu Private Power Corp. were able to give 12.7 MW. Big customers also reduced their power requirements to avoid a blackout.

Natera added that at past 11:00 a.m. yesterday, the Cebu Thermal Power Plant 1 and five units of the Cebu Diesel Power Plant 1 (both in Naga) were unavailable as per system alert from NGCP.

She said that Veco’s share for the interruption is 50MW in yesterday’s morning peak, 70MW in the afternoon peak, and 50MW in the evening peak.

During the morning peak, the areas affected in Cebu City were Barangays Calamba, Labangon, Guadalupe, Tisa, Kasambagan, Mabolo, Banilad and Talamban. In Mandaue City, the areas affected were Tipolo, Subangdaku, Canduman, Casuntingan, Banilad and Cabangcalan.

During the afternoon peak, the areas in Mandaue City affected were Barangays Looc, Cambaro, Centro, Alang-Alang, Ibabao, Mantuyong, Guizo, Tipolo, Bakilid, Maguikay, Casuntingan and Banilad. In Cebu City, those affected were Barangays Kasambagan, Bo. Luz, Lahug, Apas, Busay.

Also in the afternoon peak, Talisay City and the towns of Naga and Minglanilla were affected.

Meanwhile, the SPC Power said the power plants at their Naga Power Plant Complex have been generating electricity to the National Power Corp. (NPC) beyond contractual obligations to help meet the present needs of Cebu and the rest of the Visayas.

Antonio Corpuz, SPC senior vice president and chief operating officer, made the clarification in an e-mail amid speculations that the brownouts being experienced in Metro Cebu in the last weeks were artificial to justify the construction of more coal-fired power plants in Naga and Toledo City.

The coal-fired plants being constructed by the Korean Electric Company (Kepco) and SPC Power joint venture in Naga and by the Cebu Global Energy Power in Toledo City are being opposed by environmentalists, citing hazardous effects to residents and to the environment.

Corpuz said the different plants in Naga, except for thermal plant 1 which is undergoing repairs, are producing a total of 157MW. Thermal plant 1 should be online at noon today after emergency repairs and needed tests on its boiler shall be completed.

Corpuz also clarified that under SPC’s rehabilitate, operate and manage contract with the NPC, it is allowed 78 days a year for the maintenance and repairs of each plant. The contract signed in 1994 was supposed to end this year. However, the term was extended until 2012.

“As of today, we are within the limits allowed by the contract,” Corpuz said to put to rest misconceptions that the Naga plants had not been operating as expected.

This means the Naga complex is producing some 15-25 percent over the SPC contractual commitment. Even the gas turbines at the Naga complex are online producing 47MW, Corpuz said. (EOB)