Napocor moves to ensure adequate power supply on May 13

DAVAO CITY – The National Power Corporation (Napocor) has ordered the release of water from Lake Lanao starting today to fill impounding plants of the cascading Agus Complex to ensure that there will be a sufficient power supply during the midterm elections in Mindanao, according to Undersecretary Romeo Montenegro, deputy executive director of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).

Montenegro told a press briefing on Wednesday that the release of water was necessary to make sure “there is enough level of reserve should there be a need to kick in their capacities.”

“Some of the operating units of Agus

Complex are on economic shut down or adjusted economic flow, that’s being reserved in time for the need to kick in during the elections,” he said.

Majority of the hydro power source of the island comes from the state-run Agus-Pulangui Hydroelectric Power Complex, comprising seven hydroelectric plants such as Agus 1, Agus 2, Agus 4, Agus 5, Agus 6, and Agus 7 in the Lanao provinces and Pulangui 4 in Bukidnon.

Collectively, the plants have a total installed capacity of 982.1 MW installed capacity.

Although Mindanao has excess in power supply, Montenegro said: “We can never predict 100 percent that there’s not going to be power interruptions or power supply problem on the Election Day itself.”

“Not just in BARM but all other areas in Mindanao. We cannot predict the future because there are a number of triggers for a possible interruption to our supply situation all across Mindanao,” he said.

Nilo Geroche, chief of energy industry management division of Department of Energy (DOE), said the Energy Task Force Election had been established to ensure an uninterrupted energy supply before, during, and after polls, so that the integrity of the elections would not be questioned.

The ETFE has eight members, which include the National Electrification Administration, National Power Corporation, National Transmission Corporation, Philippine National Oil Company, Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation, Philippine Electricity Market Corporation, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, and the Manila Electric Company. There are six other supporting organizations that are also onboard.

The Task Force will also work closely with the national security group composed of the National Security Council, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Philippine Coast Guard.

He said electric cooperatives and distribution utilities have already created contingency plans for the upcoming elections.