Philippines Aims for Early Restoration of Five Coal-Fired Power Plants

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said it expects five more coal-fired power plants totaling 722 megawatts (MW) in the Visayas and Mindanao to return to service by October. In a briefing on Monday, Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin said the government is aiming to stabilize the Visayas grid as fast as possible after the shutdown of several generating units in recent months. “The Visayas power situation is unacceptable, and we are treating it with the utmost urgency. The DoE’s priority is to ensure sufficient and reliable electricity for the Visayas,” she said. According to DoE, the 82-MW Cebu Energy Development Corp. Unit 1 returned to service on Sept. 5. The 169-MW Therma Visayas Unit 1 is set to return by Sept. 15, while the 150-MW Panay Energy Development Corp. Unit 3 is scheduled to return by Oct. 3. The DoE said it is also working to restore generating units in Mindanao that can supply power to the Visayas via the grid interconnection. The 150-MW Therma South, Inc. (TSI) Unit 2 in Davao, is scheduled to return by Sept. 8, followed by the 150-MW TSI Unit 1, also by Sept. 19. The 103-MW GN Power Kauswagan Unit 2 in Lanao del Norte is due back by Sept. 20. To support to the Visayas grid, the DoE has also tapped power firms to deploy 253 MW of battery storage capacity on Cebu, Panay, Leyte, and Negros. Battery storage will provide quick-response support when a generating unit suddenly trips or electricity supply margins become tight, helping stabilize the grid while the system adjusts. To ensure that this backup capacity is available when needed, the DoE directed the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines to execute the outstanding ancillary services contracts required by the Visayas grid, including battery capacity. The DoE is also stepping up its review of generating facilities with recurring forced outages to determine the causes of repeated failures and check whether they have been adequately maintained. “If a plant keeps breaking down, we cannot keep giving the same answer: ‘It tripped,’” Ms. Garin said. “We need to know why it happened and make sure the underlying problem is fixed.” The DoE is expecting the entry of additional capacity of 787 MW for Cebu-Bohol and 790 MW for Panay-Negros between 2028 and 2031. “The forecasts, investments, and additional capacity we need today should have been planned and put in place years ago,” Ms. Garin said. “What we can do now is act with urgency: stabilize the Visayas grid, strengthen long-overdue oversight and accountability of our power plants and grid operator, and move the projects already in the pipeline,” she added. Since the start of the year, the Visayas grid has been placed under 33 red alerts and 96 yellow alerts, while the Mindanao grid experienced three red alerts and 12 yellow alerts. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera