Minda beefs up power monitoring on E-Day

MINDANAO'S power supply on Election Day is being closely monitored as the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) sets up mechanism to help boost inter-agency coordination on addressing any unexpected power-related incidents during polling hours.

"A power monitoring center within MinDA has been set-up and will be activated on Monday to support efforts to ensure reliable power across Mindanao," says Romeo Montenegro, MinDA director for investment promotions and public affairs.

He said the establishment of power watch center is in line with the mandate of the Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee (MPMC), which is to oversee efforts at addressing the power situation in Mindanao.

Montenegro added that MPMC power monitoring center will augment the Power Task Force Election 2013 set-up by the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure stable and reliable power supply during the May 13 national and local elections.

"Although we're comfortable that measures had been put in place to ensure that Mindanao will have enough power supply on Monday, we can't discount any possibility of outages arising from various causes," he stressed, adding that, "that's why the power monitoring center makes sure all hands are on-deck so reports of outages can be quickly addressed."

Montenegro, who also heads MPMC's technical working group added that the center will also tap social media networks especially for those using mobile platforms to generate ground reports on power-related incidents and provide feedback on courses of action taken.

MPMC reported that as of Friday there were no reports of brownouts in the hard-hit areas of General Santos and Zamboanga following major improvements in the Mindanao grid.

He cited that measures being pushed by MPMC are working such as the reopening of 98MW Iligan Diesel Power Plant (IDPP) so it can add power to the grid and stream more capacity in time for the elections.

"I believe the technicians of Mapalad Power Corporation have been working day and night to fix the IDPP, which is hoped to generate at least 30MW on Monday," he said.

The power plant is expected to be back to its full 98MW capacity in August this year.

Montenegro said that the committee also welcomes the resumption of a 50MW unit of Therma Marine power barge which underwent repair after it conked out on March 21.

"There has never been any let-up in our efforts to find ways to address the supply shortfall as quickly as possible," Montenegro said.

He said Minda and the Department of Energy (DOE) have explored all possible means to bring in needed power especially during the elections, and reiterated DOE's call for big companies to disengage from the grid on Monday and use their standby generators instead for the power needs.

Based on DOE's projections, power demand in Mindanao on Monday is pegged at around 1,126MW while the projected supply is at 1,330MW, which could turn better if big electricity consumers heed the call.

Co-chaired by Minda and DOE, MPMC is composed of the Energy Regulatory Commission, National Electrification Administration, National Power Corporation, Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation, Mindanao Electric Power Alliance and the Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives. It has also ensited the support of the National Transmission Corporation and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

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