2 Aboitiz power barges to operate in full capacity

THE SHUTDOWN of the two coal-fired power plants of the Steag State Power Inc. will force Therma Marine Inc. to operate the two power barges of Aboitiz Power Corp. in full capacity.
This was bared by Jovy P. Batiquin, chief operating officer of Therma Marine Inc., the company running the barges bought by Aboitiz from the government  in 2009.
“The barges will run on extended hours in order to provide additional power supply to electric cooperatives, distribution utilities and industrial customers,” Batiquin said in a press statement last Sunday.
While the role of oil-based power plants like Therma Marine is primarily to serve as peaking, back up and ancillary generator, the critical power shortage in Mindanao requires the company  to operate on extended hours, to cushion the effects of the power shortage on its customers, he said.
Batiquin did not specify whether “extended hours” means the barges,  which have a combined capacity of 192 megawatts, will be on a 24-hour operation.
He said the barges have become “the most efficient and lowest-cost power plants of its kind in the region. “
Before the shutdown, the barges were operating at a maximum of 10 hours as their output  were already contracted by power distributors.
The barges have become the run-to power suppliers after Mindanao has been beset by lower power output due to the deterioration of the old hydroelectric power plants run by the National Power Corp., a government entity.
Based on the advisory of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, the power situation on Sunday was on red alert between 9 am and 11 pm as curtailment level would increase to 370 megawatts. “The increase in curtailment level is due to the outage of PB 104 (the 10-megawatt power barge of the National Power Corp. moored at Tibungco ), the reduced capability of Pulangi to 150 megawatts due to low water (level of the lake), the (shutting down of the) 40-megawatt Agus 6 (hydroelectric plant due to exciter problem, and the planned outage of Steag U1.”
However, in its website, the grid operator stated that as of Sunday, the curtailment level was just at 133 megawatts with the capacity at 955 megawatts while the peak level would 1.088 megawatts.
The city’s distributor, meanwhile, assured its customers that power outages in its franchise areas “are unlikely.”
“In spite of the possible increase in power curtailment in Mindanao as a consequence, Davao Light (and Power Co.) will do its best to avoid implementing rotational power interruptions,” said Rossano C. Luga, spokesperson of the company in an electronic mail.