PEOPLE are suffering from sweltering heat as rotating brownouts are back. But don't rant yet, Mindanao people are being told.
A Department of Energy official is confident it will be better next year as a total of 550 megawatts (MW) installed power capacity is expected to be added to the Mindanao Power grid by first half (1H) of next year with the entry of three coal-fired power plants.
The three coal-fired power plants are the two units of San Miguel Consolidated Power Corporation (SMCP) with a combined capacity of 300 MW, Saranggani Energy Corporation (Sec) unit one with a capacity of 100 MW and the AboitizPower's 150 MW Therma South Inc. (TSI) unit two.
"The entry of these coal-fired power plants will normalize the power stability of the island," said Noriel Christopher Reyes, Science Research Specialist II of the Department of Energy (DOE) Electric Power Industry Management Bureau during the Information Drive on the Mindanao Energy Plan and the Impacts of El Nino on the power sector or Energy Conservation Program (Enercon) on Monday at the Pinnacle Hotel and Suites.
He added that the energy sector projected some 100 to 200 MW power shortfall beginning this month until February of 2016 because of the extended long drought or El Niño.
"By March of next year we expected that the power capacity in the island will normalize especially with the entry of new power plants.
The commercial operations of the 300 MW two-unit power plant of SMCP is expected by May and June of next year, 100 MW of Sec by April while 150 MW TSI unit two by March 2016.
Bryan Diosma, Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee (MPMC) technical head, told Sun.Star Davao in a recent interview that with the entry new power plants, the island is in a better position to push through with stable power supply amid a prolong dry spell.
"For Mindanao, we are looking at a better position, this is because of the entry of the committed power plants," he said.
Based on the MPMC data, all the committed power projects in Mindanao reached a total of 1,920 MW as of October 31. These power projects are expected to start operations between this year until 2018.
Of the 1,920 MW, 1,760MW of which is coal, 11.90 MW is Oil-Based while only 148.40 MW is from the renewable energy plants.
Romeo Montenegro, Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) director Investment Promotion and Public Affairs said that at present the Mindanao's energy mix is 55 percent RE while 45 percent devoted for Fossil-based projects.
However, Montenegro underscored that by 2017, the island's power mix will be 30 percent RE and 70 percent Fossil-based, biggest bulk will be poured by Coal-fired power plants.
Meanwhile, National Grid Power Corporation (NGCP) as of Monday, 1:00 p.m., a total of 212 power deficiency is recorded in Mindanao.
The tight power supply situation in Mindanao is caused by the Preventive Maintenance Service (PMS) of the 105 MW one-unit of Steag coal-fired power plant and also the 150 MW unit one of TSI undergone an emergency shutdown last November 22 (Sunday).
"We saw some problem in the power plant so we implemented precautionary shutdown. We are presently conducting an investigation about the problem, we will inform all our customers as soon as we will know what is the problem and how long can we fix it," Wilfredo Rodolfo III, AboitizPower corporate branding and communication manager said in a phone interview with Sun.Star Davao.
The Steag power plant is expected to be back on line Tuesday.