By Juzel L. Danganan
MANILA, Jan. 18 (PNA) — Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla has given his final request for the implementation of emergency powers, to require Interruptible Load Program (ILP) participants to run on yellow alert for the Luzon reserve shortage during the summer months.
”I’m only asking for one thing, among the many things since we can’t buy already — since there is no time. Just allow the ILP’s to run on yellow alert,” Petilla told reporters.
The Philippine Grid Code (PGC) defines yellow alert as when the total reserve capacity is less than the capacity of the largest plant online. Thus, when the largest plant goes down, the total reserve will not be able to fill up its lost power supply.
Petilla said the department wants certainty the ILP’s are already running before low reserve supply occurs, rather than being switched on only during times of brownouts.
”We want to make sure that ILP’s are there ready — up and running — rather than being switched on only when we have brownouts, he stressed.
ILP is a mechanism for companies, that will de-load their usage from the grid and will use their generator-sets for their own needs. As of Jan 8, Meralco’s capacity from signed ILP participants totaled 209.72 Megawatts (MWs).
It allows other Manila Electric Company (Meralco) consumers to obtain additional power from the grid, since demand from the ILP participants is lessened.
Petilla added Senator Sergio Osmena, who’s the chairman of the senate energy committee, has been open to his request, citing his last talk with Osmena.
Further, the energy chief mentioned another option still considered by both of them, is the temporary suspension of the biofuels law for the Ilijan Power Plant.
He explained the Department of Energy (DOE) is still discussing the proposed solution with Ilijan’s operator KEPCO, to change the fuel of Ilijan to diesel from its current biodiesel fuel. It will increase the capacity of Ilijan from 420 MW to 600 MW.
But, Petilla said there are still some technical issues, which have to be settled, adding another option sought is that one Ilijan unit will not be maintained first.
He stressed Ilijan’s conversion of fuel supply from biodiesel to diesel is dependent on whether Ilijan can run, since one unit of the plant is down right now.
The energy secretary previously noted he does not want to “gamble” with the fuel conversion of Ilijan, explaining if it does not go as planned its capacity might shrink to zero, from a planned increase of 420 MW to 600 MW, then tumbling to zero due to technical issues.
Ilijan commonly uses Natural gas from the Malampaya Power Station, but the supply will be cut off this March 15 due to the Malampaya’s scheduled shutdown.
Petilla assures the DOE is doing everything to combat the expected reserve deficit in the summer months.
”Again, we are doing everything we can, getting all the resources that can run for the summer of 2015,” he said.
Formerly, the House of Representatives cited Luzon has a power supply deficit of 872 MW, above the Philippine Grid Code’s (PGC’s) reserve requirement of 647 MW. (PNA)