CEBU CITY, Philippines — As power consumption goes up this warm season, the Visayan Electric Company appeals for energy conservation from its consumers.
Quennie Sanchez, VECO reputation enhancement department head, said simple actions such as opening the windows in the room to let the outdoor air come in to maintain the temperature inside fairly stable, and making sure that appliances are well-maintained, are already a big help in saving energy.
Bronce said that while an increase in power demand would not automatically translate to higher power rates, it could translate into higher bills for the consumer and could affect the power situation outlook in the region.
“Visayan Electric has a power contract to address the demand for the franchise area, but kaning power supply, mag agad man gud siya sa NGCP (National Grid Corporation of the Philippines),” Bronce told CDN Digital. “Compared to Luzon and Mindanao, ubos-ubos jud ang power reserve sa Visayas,” she added.
Based on NGCP’s Power Situation Outlook for Tuesday, May 2, 2023, the system peak demand for Visayas is 2,197 megawatts (MW).
However, the available generating capacity in the Visayas is only 2,412 MW, which leaves an operating margin of 215 MW; this is far compared to the operating margins of Luzon (at 1,659 MW) and Mindanao (at 977 MW). Just last Thursday afternoon, April 27, 2023, the total demand at about 2 p.m. was already 614 megawatts.
In 2019, pre-pandemic, the the highest demand VECO recorded for that year was only 601 megawatts.
/bmjo
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