The heat index in parts of the Philippines hit a scorching 47ºC on Wednesday, May 13, forcing residents to turn electric fans and air-conditioning units to maximum. Before midday, however, power distribution companies issued red and yellow alerts, warning of rotational brownouts in the country’s most densely populated regions.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) announced insufficient electricity in over two-thirds of the country between 3p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Greggy, a painter who works at home, bought rechargeable fans in case brownout would hit their neighborhood. He takes care of an elderly and ailing mother he ensures must be comfortable at all times. “We have to spend more for airconditioning, more so that the heat is terrible,” he told Kodao.
Scramble to meet demands
Energy authorities explained that rising demand during the Philippines’ summer months as well as insufficient capacity by power generators are to be blamed for the rotating supply shortages.
While majority of the country’s power plants are coal-fired, increasing oil shortages due to war in the Middle East is worrisome to island provinces and off-grid sites that depend on diesel and heavy fuel oils.
The NGCP said a yellow alert was also declared for the Luzon grid from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., and for the Visayas grid from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Peak demand in Luzon was projected at 12,537 megawatts (MW), exceeding the available capacity of 12,447 MW. In the Visayas, available capacity stood at 2,510 MW against an expected peak demand of 2,413 MW.
Power distributor Meralco later announced the alerts were raised to red affecting Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon and Rizal. The areas affected have a combined population of 30 million residents.
A yellow alert is declared when the power supply reserve falls, meaning the grid still has enough electricity, but the margin is very thin. A red alert means there will be power outages that could last several hours.
The NGCP also revealed that as many as 17 power plants are on “forced outage,” meaning they stopped operating due to maintenance issues. Coupled with higher demand for electricity, it could result in hardships for residents and loss of income to small businesses that could not afford generators.
Rotational breakdown
The Philippines had been severely affected by the increasing shortage in diesel since the Middle East war started in late February. Majority of its refined oil supply comes from China, Japan and South Korea that have since stopped exporting to client countries to secure their domestic supply.
The Philippines is the first country in the world to declare a State of National Energy Emergency after the war started.
With its lone oil refinery scrambling to fill supply demands, the Philippines is hard pressed to deliver diesel to fuel stations and power generators that service off-grid areas.
A severe diesel shortage has led to rotational brownouts in remote islands and off-grid communities where power is solely generated by diesel plants.
The Philippine Department of Energy admits that in such cases, the rest of the country switches to what it calls the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) that rely on businesses running their own diesel-powered generators to reduce strain on the grid.
But with inadequate and expensive diesel, the program becomes costlier and less effective.
Energy authorities are asking the NGCP and the generators to explain why power plants keep on breaking down when demand is highest.
The Department of Energy itself had been unable to explain why the country’s power generators fail to ensure stable and adequate supply despite earning billions annually. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
