NGCP inks more supply deals for Luzon, Visayas
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has contracted more capacity from several generators to maintain a secure and reliable power supply in the Luzon and Visayas power grids.
NGCP has forged ancillary services procurement agreements (ASPA) with SN Aboitiz Power-Magat Inc. (SNAP-MI) and SN Aboitiz Power-Benguet Inc. (SNAP-BI) in Luzon and with SPC Power Corp. in Visayas.
The parties have filed an application with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), seeking regulatory approval to implement the power deals.
For Luzon, SNAP-MI owns and operates the 360-380-megawatt (MW) Magat hydroelectric power plant in Ramon, Isabela, while SNAP-BI is owner and operator of the 105-MW Ambuklao and 140-MW Binga hydroelectric power plants.
Under the ASPAs with the SN Aboitiz Power units, NGCP is tapping their hydropower facilities to provide reactive power support (RPS) to the Luzon grid on a non-firm contracted capacity basis.
The RPS — which is one of the AS essential to maintaining power quality and the reliability of the grid — will be for a five-year period as soon as the ERC issues provisional approval or final approval for the contracts.
This in addition to the other AS types under the ASPAs entered into by NGCP with SNAP-MI and SNAP-BI in August 2016.
NGCP said the power deals are part of its mandate to ensure the quality, reliability, security and affordability of power supply from the grid.
The RPS offer from SNAPMI and SNAP-BI “will significantly help maintain the required power quality and voltage level in North Luzon.”
“The generation facilit[ies] is strategically located in North Luzon, thus, its provision for RPS will definitely enable NGCP to comply with its mandate,” the grid operator said.
In Visayas, NGCP signed a deal with SPC to provide AS in the forms of dispatchable reserve (DR) and black start support (BSS) for also five years once approved.
The deal covers up to 21 MW DR for 24 hours at P0.85 per kwh rate, up to 7 MW of DR without schedule at P1.25 per kwh and up to 28 MW of BSS.
DR refers to the generating capacity that are readily available for dispatch in order to replenish the contingency reserve service whenever a generating unit trips or a loss of a single transmission interconnection occurs.
The BSS, on the other hand, will provide available capacity to energize the power restoration highway and synchronize to the rest of the grid.
“The current levels of available contracted AS in the Visayas grid have not yet reached the desired levels necessary for the system security and reliability,” NGCP said.
AS is necessary to support the transmission of capacity and energy from resources to loads while maintaining reliable operation of the transmission system in accordance with good utility practice and the grid code.