By Juzel L. Danganan
MANILA, March 2 (PNA) — German-firm STEAG State Power Inc. (SPI) has completed its maintenance shutdown on its second unit at 6:08 a.m., Monday, fully stabilizing 105-Megawatts (MWs) of power back to the Mindanao grid.
In a statement, SPI Power Plant Manager Dr. Carsten Evers said “the unit was officially synchronized to the Mindanao grid at around 6:08 a.m. on March 2”.
Unit 2 initially went offline on February 19, 2015 due to a scheduled preventive maintenance schedule, which will sustain its long-term power plant operations.
On the other hand, SPI’s Unit 1, which also has a 105-MW capacity, is on-track in its maintenance schedule.
If no problems occur, STEAG said the first unit will be online on or before March 16, 2015. It went offline on February 21, 2015.
Formerly, Evers said the shutdown was coordinated with the grid operator, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), which ensures there will be minimal brownouts.
According to a recent statement from Philippine Independent Power Producers Association (PIPPA) President Luis Miguel Aboitiz, the Mindanao grid is only critical on power supply during the shutdown of the 210-MW SPI Power Plant.
Thus, once the maintenance is completed, the Mindanao grid can rest assure there will be no brownouts or blackouts. (PNA)