Mindanao power crisis worsens

BUTUAN CITY – The whole Mindanao power grid has been placed under alert after longer and more frequent brownouts lasting for as long as seven hours went unabated as of yesterday.

This was disclosed by Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives (Amreco) President Sergio C. Dagooc to the Manila Bulletin as power outages increased in duration in Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur and the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Butuan and Davao.

“We have done everything, however the reduction of Agus (Lanao) and Pulangi (Bukidnon) hydropower plants as well as Steag PMS is beyond our control,” Dagooc said.

According to him, there was a need to implement demand side management or efficient utilization of electricity. “Unplug, defroze, turn off unnecessary appliances and lights and do not use decorative lights,” he said.

“Before the preventive maintenance shutdown, Amreco was trying to negotiate with STEAG power to defer the schedule but to no avail since according to them it’s been long overdue and was creating more and more danger to the technical integrity of the plant,” he said.

Then the situation was worsened by the low water level in Agus and Pulangi plants in Lanao and Bukidnon, respectively, which resulted in the reduction in the capacity output.

The power deficiency in Mindanao has reached an alarming level, raising the possibility of longer and more frequent outages.

Rotational brownouts for each Distribution Utilities and Electric Cooperatives (DUEC) in Mindanao are averaging at one to five hours per feeder.

The Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (ZAMCELCO) alone is implementing one of the longest rotational brownouts – an average of seven hours – and a minimum of five hours.

The Zamboanga del Sur Electric Cooperative (ZAMSURECO-2) is implementing a five-hour brownouts per substation while the Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative (SUKELCO) has been compelled to implement fivehour brownouts per feeder.

Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative (SURNECO) had no choice but impose brownouts of four and a half hours per feeder in their franchise area while Siargao and Dinagat Islands Electric Cooperative suffered almost four hours of power outage and three hours of rotational brownout in the franchise areas of Agusan del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Cagayan de Oro Electric Power and Light Co. (Cepalco) is working on a four-hour brownout schedule.