RELEASED: 7 February 2017
The Department of Energy (DOE) has sent a team to the Sual Power Station Monday to assess the restoration of its generating units that went offline.
"We need to make Team Sual aware that we are checking on them and all the others,” DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.
Aside from verifying reports, DOE wants to ensure the safety and reliability of the plant.
“Our goals are getting the correct reports and pushing them to a higher degree in doing their jobs,” Cusi said. “It's not just them giving the right account of what's going on. More importantly, it's the higher standard we are after.”
The Secretary said that in the end, audit teams must push and convince plant operators to procure quality materials to achieve a higher level in performing their functions.
"To achieve higher standards, rewards and penalties, monitoring and a fair system of grading should be in place."
Cusi added, “When we visit plants, we always show concern for the workers. We put pressure on the owners to provide the best resources for the workers to excel. Best equipment, facilities and fair benefits will result to better performance.”
Sual Unit 2 went online at 5:21 a.m. while Sual Unit 1 went offline at 10:15 a.m. of Monday, 06 February 2017, due to a possible condenser tube leak but the power situation in Luzon is still manageable, according to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
“The grid is still normal (at this time),” NGCP said in a statement. Based on the most recent update of NGCP, the Luzon grid will have a net reserve of 1,089 megawatts during the afternoon peak today. "
"Sual Unit 2 is running at 647 megawatts and Malaya TPP Unit 2 will be utilized at minimum stable capacity of 130 megawatts to maintain normal system conditions."
According to Team Energy Sual, Sual Unit 1 is expected to return on line within 3 to 4 days. They will provide DOE periodic updates with regard to the plant conditions.
The Sual Power Station is the largest coal-fired power plant in the Philippines generating and supplying 1,294 megawatts for the Luzon Grid.
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