PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) — The Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) assured member-consumer-owners (MCOs) to meet the forecast demand until December with its slight reserve despite its limited dependable capacity.
The current dependable capacity of PALECO for the main grid is 66.85 MW, with a 60.2 MW contracted capacity. The current demand hits 63.65 MW for the month of September.
Engr. Ric Adajao of the Technical Services Department (TSD) believes that if rainy weather continues until next week, no increase in demand will be observed.
“Sa peak natin talaga buong taon, ang na-hit natin was 68.55MW last summer, Malaki na ang deficit natin pero as of today, ang ating forecast ay 63.65MW lang kaya kinakaya ng ating dependable capacity–Kaya confident pa tayo sa capacity natin dahil ngayong buwan ay nasa 67 yong ating peak na na-record,” he said.
The peak demand in Palawan was in April at 68.55 MW, followed by 67.19 MW in August. The high demand was due to the extreme heat experienced during the dry season, or “summer,” and the onset of El Niño, which manifested in the August record.
Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) shows the forecasted and actual peak demand in Palawan Grid for 2023 during the third quarter press conference. (Photo by Rachel Ganancial)
The forecast demand of PALECO for the three remaining months is 63.43 MW in October, 61.29 MW in November, and 61.96 MW in December.
“Even noong first quarter ay lagpas na tayo sa forecast, kung matatandaan nyo noong summertime, sometime April kasunod na yon ang load shedding, rotational blackout—Binanggit ko kanina na nasa 63.65MW ang ating forecast. Maulan-ulan, kung ganito pa rin hanggang sa susunod na araw hanggang buong linggo ay hindi siya tataas,” he said.
For the mainland stand alone, Adajao said San Vicente and Agutaya are both at the critical level of reserve power supply, while Rizal has now a deficit in power supply.
“Ongoing pa yong repair ng kanilang unit sa Rizal, hopefully makabalik ito,” he said.
Source reliability is one of the two main concerns of PALECO in the main grid, along with line reliability.
One of the solutions discussed by the electric cooperative is their request for additional capacity from DMCI. Adajao said DMCI has committed to dispatching extra capacity to the main grid.
It also processes the replacement of all power cable terminations at the Puerto Princesa substation, the installation of a 2 MW contingency diesel generator from the National Electrification Administration (NEA), and a request for advance delivery capacity from SI Power Corporation (SIPCOR).
SIPCOR has a 15-year supply contract with PALECO for 20 MW of conventional and renewable solar energy technology. Its 20 MW supply will help to support the main grid, as PPGI’s contract is set to end in 2025.
PALECO also reported that vegetation and equipment are the top reasons for the side interruptions with sustained faults encountered in the main grid’s power distribution.
Adajao further explained that the electric cooperative has continued the reconductoring from bare to insulated wires, line clearing activity, and load monitoring. PALECO is also working on line inspection, thermal scanning, and line modification. (RPG/PIA MIMAROPA – Palawan)
