Napocor buying P1.2-B gensets for 24/7 power in off-grid areas

State-run National Power Corp. (Napocor) is acquiring generator sets (gensets) worth as much as P1.2 billion this year to provide round-theclock power supply in off-grid islands.

In separate bid bulletins, Napocor said it is soliciting bids for the supply of 119 modular gensets with a combined cost of P1.22 billion.

Of the total, 29 gensets worth P352.09 million are for Luzon, 68 gensets costing P594.18 million are for Visayas and 22 gensets amounting to P272.37 million are for Mindanao.

These gensets will be installed in Napocor Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) areas across the country.

As mandated by Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, Napocor performs missionary electrification through SPUG and provides associated power delivery systems in areas not connected to the main grid.

It presently operates and manages 275 power facilities in 190 municipalities across 34 provinces in the archipelago.

This year, it has targeted to install a total of 58 megawatts (MW) of new capacity.

So far, Napocor has granted 24/7 power to its diesel power plants in Guintarcan Island in Cebu; Cuaming Island in Bohol; San Vicente and El Nido in Palawan; Palimbang in Sultan Kudarat; Balimbing, Mapun and Sibutu in Tawi-Tawi; Tagapul-an in Samar; Balut in Davao Occidental; Almagro in Samar; and Cabul-an in Bohol.

Nearly 14,000 households in these areas will benefit from the extended power supply.

Meanwhile, it is also working on its first solar photovoltaic (PV) – diesel hybrid power plant in the historic island municipality of Limasawa, Southern Leyte worth P54 million.

With capacities of 120 kilowatt peak (kWp) from the solar installation and 120 kWh from the energy storage system, additional power service will be provided to 1,200 household-customers in the island through the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative Inc.

Napocor has also inaugurated the first of its eight mini-grid projects in Palawan, which will be powered by diesel-fired generating sets.

The first was an 80-kW genset in Nangalao, Linapacan. The state-run firm will power up seven more areas with hybrid systems, wherein three areas namely, Barangays Casian, Paly and Beyton in Taytay, are powered up last year while the remaining barangays—Tara in Coron, Concepcion in Agutaya, and Bancalan 1 and 2 in Balabac– are scheduled to be energized this year.

Earlier, Napocor president and CEO Pio Benavidez said capacity addition programs for this year until 2020 have been laid down to ensure a more reliable power supply and eventually provide uninterrupted 24/7 power in the corporation’s service areas in the off-grid islands.

This in pursuit of Napocor’s goal of granting round-theclock power service to all its 275 SPUG power plants in the country by 2020.