DESPITE recent problems with the Luzon grid due to strong quakes in Batangas earlier this week, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) assured stable power supply for the Visayas.
Rosette Martinez, NGCP Visayas spokesperson, said that the unstable power supply in Luzon was not seen to have any effect on the Visayas even as the two grids are interconnected.
“So far, we have enough supply. There is no advisory that we have to call for any load reduction or any similar move,” she told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview on Tuesday.
Power supply in Luzon returned to normal on Tuesday as the grid went from red to yellow alert, with supply earlier becoming unstable due to tremors felt in Batangas three days ago.
The NGCP placed the Luzon grid on red alert status last Monday due to insufficient power supply amid a high system demand, but was lifted two hours after and was replaced with a yellow alert.
Yellow alert means power supply was limited while red alert means it is at a critical level.
NGCP’s weekly outlook for the Visayas showed that system load or the total demand was projected at 1,702 MW on Wednesday, 1,543 MW on Thursday, 1,402 MW on Friday, 1,627 MW on Saturday, and 1,652 on Sunday.
Demand is expected to pick up by Monday next week at 1,801 MW.
During the rest of this week, the Visayas grid will have a gross reserve of 407 MW on Wednesday, 566 MW on Thursday, 707 MW on Friday, 483 MW on Saturday, and 457 MW on Sunday.
The Visayan Electric Company (VECO), meanwhile, assured its customers that it has enough power supply for the Holy Week.
VECO spokesperson Quennie Bronce, in a text message to CDN, said the utility’s franchise will not be affected by the developments in Luzon.
“In fact, there is an oversupply in the Visayas,” she said.
Scheduled power outages this week will only be until April 12, which Bronce said the utility’s customers have been informed about since last week.
While there will no longer be power outages for April 13, she said VECO teams will still be deployed during the week.
Demand in VECO’s franchise area was projected at 318.265 MW on Maundy Thursday, 273.794 MW on Good Friday, and 354.347 MW on Black Saturday.
VECO distributes power to the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay, Naga, and the municipalities of Liloan, Consolacion, Minglanilla, and San Fernando.