DOE: Visayas grid has steady power supply

By Lorenzo O. Lambatin Jr.

Thursday 19th of July 2012

BACOLOD CITY, July 19 (PIA) -- The Visayas power Grid has stable supply of electricity but needs more power plants in the next five years to fill-up the demand of consumers.

Department of Energy (DOE) Regional Director Antonio Labios said the Visayas grid has 300 MW of reserve energy consuming only 1,400 MW of the 1,700 MW power available.

But in the next five years, additional power plants are needed to supply the 100 MW demand given a forecast of 4.4 percent electrical growth need per year, he added.

Businessmen, however, believe the electric demand growth is higher than the figure of the DOE. They also said power plants could be put up sooner, Labios said.

To encourage investment in the power sector, the DOE is holding regular power investment noting that some local companies have now shown interest in power business like San Miguel Corp. and SM.

Already, mini hydro projects that will produce 8 to 12 MW are on-going in the Visayas area and the expansion of the Global Power for a 100 MW in Cebu are among the additional power sources the DOE is looking into for augmentation.

In Negros Occ., Labios said, people prefer Renewable Energy (RE) sources like water and wind. At the moment, however, RE cannot supply the base load on a 24-hour basis.

He said an expansion in Palinpinon Geothermal Plant that will supply an additional 100 MW is due in the next few years.

Labios urged households to conserve energy as power rate increases will hound consumers because the load demands increase and running plants also become costlier. (LOL/JCM-PIA6)