TAGUIG CITY - The Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) on Friday (14 January) virtually convened for their regular meeting to discuss the 2022 Power Demand/Supply Outlook, as provided for by Department Circular (DC) DC2020-02-0004, "Providing Guidelines on the Planned Outage Schedules of Power Plants and Transmission Facilities and the Public Posting of the Grid Operating and Maintenance Program".

 

"The goal of these meetings is to make sure that all power sector stakeholders are aligned for CY2022. The availability of stable and reliable power supply is of grave importance - there should be no surprises this year, especially given our continuous battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, regions that have been affected by Typhoon Odette are rebuilding themselves, and of course, because we are in an election year," Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi underscored.

 

During the meeting, NGCP presented its updated 2022 power outlook for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, where they indicated the following :

 

I. LUZON

There are no foreseen yellow alerts (YA) in 2022, with the NGCP having proposed for some amendments in the schedule of generator maintenance adjustments.

 

A yellow alert indicates the thinning of power reserves in the grid. It is raised when reserves fall below the capacity of the largest generating unit.

 

II. VISAYAS

As the worst case scenario, the energy family should anticipate the potential occurrence of YAs in the absence of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission link from Luzon, and after taking into account generator maintenance adjustments.

 

III. MINDANAO

There are no foreseen YAs in Mindanao, even after factoring in generator maintenance adjustments.

 

On the DOE's part, officials reiterated that the primary objective of the Grid Operating and Maintenance Program (GOMP) policy, particularly in requiring generation companies (GenCos) to submit their respective proposed maintenance schedules well in advance, is to enable the Department and the rest of the energy family to come up with accurate power supply/demand projections for the coming year.

 

In addition, sound forward planning would allow the energy family to identify potential issues and formulate appropriate contingency measures to prevent potential power interruptions.

 

Under Section 3 of DC2020-02-0004, GenCos are required to submit their three-year planned outage schedules to the NGCP, which serves as a basis for the crafting of the GOMP.

 

The NGCP should submit the GOMP on the "last day of October of each year, for review and approval" of the DOE, which then "directs the necessary adjustments in the generation and transmission planned outage schedules".

 

Furthermore, the Circular also clearly states that "only the hydroelectric power plants shall be allowed to conduct power plant maintenance during the peak quarter".

 

Both the DOE and the NGCP agreed that GenCos should strictly adhere to their maintenance schedule submissions in the recently approved GOMP 2022-2024.

 

The DOE likewise emphasized the importance of the interconnection between the Luzon and Visayas grids.

 

HVDC should always be available to provide support, as outages outside of the provided maintenance schedule may result to the thinning of reserves in Visayas or Luzon, since both grids support each other at peak times of the day.

 

The DOE and NGCP will continue to meet regularly as part of the preparations for the presentation of the annual power supply and demand outlook.

 

In the meantime, the DOE assures the public that it is closely working with all energy family members and stakeholders to secure the continuous supply of power nationwide.