Panay plant now in sync with Visayas grid

GLOBAL Business Power (GBP) Corporation, one of the largest power producers in the Visayas, said on Thursday that its subsidiary Panay Energy Development Corporation (PEDC) has successfully synchronized its 150-megawatt (MW) expansion project with the Visayas grid.

According to GBP, PEDC and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) completed the synchronization on Friday, August 19, paving the way for the power generator’s target commercial operations within the third quarter of this year.

The new plant (PEDC3) is connected to the substation in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo.

“We would like to thank NGCP, PEMC [Philippine Electricity Market Corporation], and all parties responsible for the successful synchronization of PEDC3 to the Visayas Grid,” said GBP president Rolando Bacani.

“This marks another step towards - power to the region and contribute to its continued development,” Bacani said.

PEDC3 is already contracted to provide power to the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), Iloilo Electric Cooperatives I, II, and III, and the Antique Electric Cooperative and Guimaras Electric Cooperative of the Panay-Guimaras power supply consortium.

PEDC’s third plant is a boon to a region that needs more reliable power supply. In a recent forum, Department of Energy ( DOE) science research specialist Noriel Christopher Reyes said that Visayas needs more baseload capacity, or a stable supply of power 24/7.

Reyes said that the Visayas Grid currently has an actual capacity of 2,100 MW, which includes solar power sources. He welcomes the forthcoming operation of PEDC and other new plants within the year to boost the Visayas Grid.