Senators Criticize NGCP’s ‘Normal’ Grid Claim Amid Panay Island Blackout
MANILA: Senators expressed strong disapproval on Wednesday towards the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) for its assertion that the grid was in a “normal” condition before and during the extensive power outage on Panay Island and other areas in Western Visayas.
According to Philippines News Agency, speaking at a Senate Committee on Energy inquiry, the claim by NGCP was deemed “misleading.” This followed the tripping of the Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) power plant. Gatchalian highlighted that this incident created a negative margin where demand exceeded supply, leading to an imbalance in the grid.
Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta concurred, stating that the situation could be classified as an alert or emergency state under the Philippine Grid Code. She noted that NGCP’s focus was on grid frequency and voltage requirements, which are only part of the six parameters for determining a grid’s normal state.
NGCP’s Visayas System Operations head, Clark Agustin, claimed that the grid was normal before the PEDC power plant tripped, citing sufficient operating margin and stable voltage and frequency levels. Despite the unplanned outage at PEDC, Agustin maintained that the system remained stable, with no overloaded or tripped transmission lines.
Senator Raffy Tulfo, chair of the panel, expressed frustration with Agustin’s remarks, stressing that NGCP should have responded proactively when the PEDC power plant shut down. Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero emphasized the need to review the Philippine Grid Code to prevent similar incidents and proposed several recommendations for future protocols.
Local officials from Western Visayas, present during the inquiry, demanded NGCP be held accountable for the substantial economic losses incurred during the outage. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas urged for responsibility and compensation, citing an estimated PHP2 billion loss for the city.
Similarly, Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. called for immediate solutions and improvements in grid management, highlighting Iloilo and Western Visayas’ economic losses of PHP3.8 billion. He indicated potential legal action to ensure compensation and prevent future blackouts.
Guimaras Governor JC Rahman Nava raised concerns about the “swinging reserves” billed by NGCP to consumers, which account for a significant portion of monthly bills. He called for a review of these charges, particularly given their purpose to prevent outages like the one experienced.