No system-wide brownouts on poll day

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews) – The demand for power in Mindanao has been predicted to increase to 2,233 megawatts on May 9, election day, but the island has more than enough supply to prevent systemic brownouts, an official of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said.

MinDA public relations head Adrian Tamayo said during “Wednesdays Habi at Kape '' that power plants in Mindanao

are expected to generate around 3,000 MW while the excess in supply is predicted at 767 MW on election day.

He said the excess rules out the possibility of islandwide brownouts that could affect several areas, except for some isolated cases brought about by force majeure such as tripping of trees on power lines and other causes that would not affect large-scale distribution of power.

“There is no threat of brownout because we have an excess in supply. Far situation that there will be brownout,” he said.

According to the data released by MinDA last month, out of Mindanao’s total system capacity of 2,751 MW, coal sources account for more than of Mindanao’s generation mix at 1,490.5MW or 54%; diesel 523.2 MW or 19%; hydro 591.2 MW or 21%; geothermal 75 MW or 3%; solar 56.9 MW or 2%; and biomass 14.9 MW or 1%.

Majority of the hydropower source of the island comes from the state-run Agus-Pulangui Hydroelectric Power Complex, comprising seven hydroelectric plants – Agus 1, Agus 2, Agus 4, Agus 5, Agus 6, and Agus 7 in the Lanao provinces and Pulangui 4 in Bukidnon. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)