A holistic and multilateral solution will address the energy issues plaguing the country.
In a statement, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said it continues to coordinate with the Department of Energy (DOE) and various stakeholders in addressing issues raised during hearings at the Senate and House committees on energy, such as the power shortages experienced during the summer months.
NGCP said a meeting on Wednesday with representatives from the DOE, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), National Transmission Corp. and related agencies tackled the ancillary services earlier blamed to have caused the recent power supply scenario.
NGCP said it is addressing the matter by reviewing existing contracts and capacities needed to comply with DOE’s directive to convert from non-firm to firm contracts.
However, NGCP is waiting from the DOE’s clarifications on AS rules.
AS serves as the available generating capacity for dispatch to meet contingency reserve requirements when a generating unit trips or a transmission interconnection problem occurs.
NGCP said the delays in Grid Operations and Maintenance Program (GOMP) and Transmission Development Plan (TDP) submission were also due to clarifications sought from the DOE on last year’s submissions.
The GOMP contains the schedule of planned outages of power plants and transmission facilities while the TDP serves as NGCP’s blueprint of projects that it will be undertaking to improve power lines due to increasing power demand.
But NGCP assured it has submitted last June the 2021 to 2023 GOMP to DOE for its approval.
The GOMP has also been endorsed to the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines for concurrence.
NGCP also assured that for future submissions, all maintenance plans which fall within the peak period such as those during the summer months will be rejected to prevent unscheduled power interruptions.
NGCP said a technical group continues to work on its annual submission of an updated TDP to DOE .
NGCP also said ERC’s compliance and performance review is ongoing. This involves the audit of the company’s operations, programs and processes. Preparations for the audit began in September 2020 with the requested compliance documents submitted to the ERC last March.
NGCP also explained despite reported delays in transmission line projects, it regularly submits monthly project status reports to the DOE.
It said it has also been proactive in seeking the DOE’s assistance on permitting and right-of-way concerns, which are the major causes of delay of transmission projects across the country.
“We have always complied and will continue to comply with our mandate and the directives of concerned stakeholders. NGCP is a private company and while we appreciate the guidance and help of the power players, at the end of the day, the objective is not to focus on AS alone. Let us work together to find a holistic solution to the problems we face. In our view, this requires a deeper analysis of the problem, and a broader strategy than just firm contracting,” NGCP stated. -J. Macapagal
