infographic on the Water Levels of Hydro Power sources in Mindanao | Infograph by MinDa
DAVAO CITY – Low water levels of Lake Lanao and Agus and Pulangi dams continue to drop, causing lower power supply in Mindanao areas.
The Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee (MPMC) in a statement cited data from the National Power Corporation (Napocor) Mindanao Generation saying the water levels of Lake Lanao and Agus and Pulangi dams have breached critical points as of Tuesday.
“The water level of Lake Lanao is at 699.24 meters above sea level (masl) as compared to the previous 699.26 on (July 17). The normal high water level for the lake is at 701.10 masl, while the minimum operating levels is at 699.15 masl,” MPMC said.
Meanwhile, the water level of Agus 4 stands at 358.31 masl, which is nearing its minimum operating level of 357 masl, and is lower as compared to 358.88 masl a couple of days ago. The dam has a normal high water level of 359 masl.
MPMC said Pulangi 4’s water level is at 280.40 masl as compared to the previous 281.02 masl. The dam, which is located in Maramag, Bukidnon, has a normal high water level of 285 masl and minimum operating level of 282 masl. It is currently churning out just 20 MW out of 250 MW capacity, largely on account of siltation.
The dams provide around half of Mindanao’s power supply. MPMC said its low water levels has brought down the capacity of the hydropower plants of the Agus-Pulangi Hydropower Complexes “resulting to lower power supply in areas in Mindanao.”
“Another factor to the lower power supply of Mindanao is the preventive maintenance shutdown (PMS) of the 105 MW Unit 2 of the 210 MW STEAG coal fired power plant of State Power Inc. (SPI) in Misamis Oriental. Unit 2 has been on PMS since Saturday (July 18) and is expected to get back online on August 16,” said the MPMC.
On Sunday, the Davao Light and Power Company also released a statement on its implementation of 1-hour power interruption. DLPC said the Mt. Apo Geothermal Power Plant is currently undergoing a PMS until July 27 which added to longer power interruption in Davao City.
Corporate Communications Officer Rossano Luga said that “Davao Light is constrained to increase the duration of the rotating power interruption despite implementing its contingency measures such as running its standby Bajada Power Plant, optimizing on its embedded Sibulan and Talomo Hydropower plants and supply agreement with TMI, and activating its Interruptible Load Program.”
“The implementation of the rotating power interruptions is necessary to avoid breakdown of the entire distribution system which happens when the demand is higher than what is being supplied,” Luga said.
As of 1:00 pm Wednedsay, the National Grid Power Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) noted that Mindanao has a power deficiency of -248 MW prompting Distribution Utilities and Electric Cooperatives to undertake measures as necessary such as voluntary load curtailment, activation of the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) and tapping of embedded modular generator sets.
Based on the latest monitoring of the MPMC, rotation brownouts for each Distribution Utilities and Electric Cooperatives in Mindanao are averaging at one to four hours per feeder.
The Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (ZAMCELCO) is implementing one of the longest rotational brownouts at a maximum of nine hours per feeder, an average of seven hours, and a minimum of five hours. The Zamboanga del Sur Electric Cooperative (ZAMSURECO) 2 is implementing a five-hour brownout per substation while the Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative (SUKELCO) is implementing a five-hour brownout per feeder. Surigao del Norte (SURNECO) is also implementing a 4.5 hour brownout per feeder in their franchise area.
Meanwhile, the South Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Socoteco) 2 remains unaffected with load shedding, with modular genset providing stop gap supply.
The Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative (Dasureco) is also not implementing any rotational brownouts due to their 12 MW modular genset, said the MPMC.
In Davao City, DLPC has implemented a maximum of two-hour power interruptions on Tuesday. (davaotoday.com)
