NATIONAL and local officials of the government, farmers, agri-preneurs, partners from the academes and researchers convened at the Mindanao Food Congress 2014 during its opening on September 25 to discuss the food security of Mindanao in the light of the coming Asean integration next year.
Discussed during the food congress is the energy sufficiency of Mindanao and its stability as one of the major keys in attaining sustainable growth in the island.
“Our energy sufficiency has reached to a yellow alert, which is something to be glad about since it was worse in the previous months,” said Brian Diosma of Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Power Monitoring Committee.
In a data recently released by the National Economic Development and Authority (Neda) in Northern Mindanao gathered from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and Cagayan de Oro Electric Light and Company (Cepalco) for the second quarter this year showed that the net supply demand deficiency in Mindanao grid was experienced partially due to technical maintenance shutdown in one of Steag coal-fired power plant’s turbines, which continued until the second quarter.
Energy sold in the region as of the second quarter this year has declined by five percent year-on-year.
The said supply deficiency triggered the use of embedded powers that resulted in reduction of energy purchased from NGCP. The embedded powers are power sources the distribution utilities developed and are not uploaded on grid, and thus, do not have power supply contract with NGCP.
Moreover, the province of Lanao del Norte also reduced its energy consumption by about 17 percent.
The decrease in sales to Lanao del Norte was also the result of the operations of Mapalad power plant as well as the Iligan Diesel power plant, which are embedded power sources of distribution utilities in the area. NGCP also reported that one of its consumers in Lanao del Norte ceased operation and was disconnected from the grid.
Misamis Oriental still remains the biggest energy consumer in Northern Mindanao, accounting to 69 percent of NGCP’s actual energy sales. Camiguin has the least energy purchase sharing only about less than one percent.
“Our livelihood, businesses and other transactions are dependent on energy. To be sure that we are going to be firm in the challenges of the globalization, energy sufficiency should be attained,” Diosma said.