NORTH COTABATO, COTABATO CITY SUFFER FROM LONGER BROWNOUTS

By Philippine News Agency

KIDAPAWAN CITY — Power consumers in Cotabato City have been experiencing two to three rotating power interruptions due to limited power supply Cotabato Light and Power Company (Colight) had been getting from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

In North Cotabato, last year’s long hours of brownout could even go higher as Mindanao’s power supply deteriorates.

Kidapawan City and other service areas of the Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco) have been experiencing four to six hours power interruption every day since last week.

Speaking for Cotelco, Vicente Baguio said the cooperative is expecting that power supply will become scarcer as high temperatures continue with brownout in its service areas possibly reaching six to eight hours a day.

One of the units of Mt. Apo Geothermal Plant operated by the Energy Development Corporation was temporarily shut down due to preventive maintenance.

Mt. Apo geothermal plant supplies about 50 megawatts to the Mindanao grid being distributed by NGCP.

Critical water levels for hydro plants

For more than a month now, Mindanao, especially in Bukidnon and Lanao provinces, had not experienced heavy downpour, causing water levels in the sources of the island’s hydropower plants to decrease critically.

Water level in Lanao Lake and Pulangi river in Bukidnon, sources of hydropower plants, have been decreasing.

In Cotabato City and its environs, power interruptions are getting frequent as NGCP reduced supply to power utilities in the island.

Tata Nataño, Colight corporation communications officer, said NGCP used to provide Colight with 15 megawatts, enough to provide electricity to Colight franchise areas in the city and in the towns of Sultan Kudarat and Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao.

But lately, NGCP was only providing six to nine megawatts to Colight, thus longer hours of brownout.

To avoid brownout, Colight needs 18 to 22 megawatts daily.

The Aboitiz-owned power firm has generator sets that could provide four to six megawatts to its consumers.

However, Nataño admitted the generator sets are not enough to answer the power needs of all its consumers.

Last week, Colight consumers were experiencing an hour or more from each feeder but with the reduced power supply from NGCP, Colight is implementing two to three hours power cut per day.