Wednesday, December 19, 2007 DOE 7 bats for less power consumption, warns v. dwindling resources in 2 yrs.
AN overused catchphrase it may be, but conserving electricity should be on every Cebuano’s mind by 2009 when power supply is expected to be critical, a government official said.
“Good housekeeping, re-lamping, using electricity during off-peak hours, these are things that we can do in the meantime that we do not have a reliable supply of power,” Department of Energy (DOE) Visayas Field Office Senior Science Specialist Aginaldo Briones said.
He said the private sector is encouraged to put up power supply facilities to help address the situation.
But since proposed power plants are projected to be completed by 2010 yet, the DOE is encouraging demand reduction, for which consumers can do their part.
Briones said that according to the DOE’s Visayas supply and demand profile, the required capacity in the region is 1,567 megawatts compared to dependable capacity of 1540 megawatts in 2009.
The required capacity refers to the peak demand plus the Energy Regulatory Board-approved reserve margin above the peak demand of 23.4 percent.
Among the ways consumers can help is by using cost-efficient appliances, said Engineer Magdaleno Baclay Jr. during a lecture as part of National Energy Week.
“The air-conditioner is the most energy-consuming appliance, so every consumer must focus his attention on how to save on its energy usage,” Baclay said.
Pick a unit with a high energy efficiency rating, he added. Install the air-con in the coolest side of the room, if possible a shady one, where air can circulate easily.
Tips
To consume less power, Baclay said, refrain from opening or closing the refrigerator door open, as it causes the compressor motor to work overtime; use fluorescent instead of incandescent lamps; switch off lights when not in use; switch off computer monitors when taking a break of more than 30 minutes; and buy new rather than used appliances.
The Korean Electric Power Corp.’s (Kepco) 200-megawatt coal-powered plant in the City of Naga, Cebu is expected to be finished by 2010. Briones said he learned that the company adjusted the target date to 2011.
Also, Phase I of the Global Business Power Corp.’s 246-megawatt Toledo City expansion project would also be finished by 2010 yet. But Briones said it is still in the “indicative” stage, meaning that its permits and other documents are still being secured.
Phase II is slated to be completed in 2011.
‘More pressing’
With the opening of businesses and commercial centers requiring electricity, the need for more power supply has become even more pressing, Briones said.
Consumers should reduce electricity consumption during peak hours, he added. In Cebu City, peak hours are at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
He said that the government’s thrust is to get consumers to depend less on high-priced oil-based power plants.
The Kepco plant in Naga and Global’s plants in Toledo will be fired by coal, which Briones said is the second cheapest means of producing power.
He said power in the Visayas, specifically the Cebu-Negros-Panay grid, is sourced from geothermal plants (71 percent), oil or diesel (18 percent), coal (11 percent) and hydroelectric plants (one percent).
In 2001, the geothermal plants in Leyte provided 63 percent of power in the Visayas, while oil-based plants contributed 30 percent compared to coal-based plants with just six percent.
Power from geothermal plants is cheaper compared to that sourced from coal, which is why the Philippine National Oil Co.-Energy Development Corp. (PNOC-EDC) is embarking on the 40-megawatt Dauin geothermal project in Oriental Negros, scheduled to be completed in 2011.
PNOC-EDC is also engaging in an 80-megawatt Southern Leyte Geothermal Project that will be completed in 2015. (RHM/With EOB)
