DOE warns of power supply shortfall
Feb 3 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Euan Paulo C. Anonuevo The
Manila Times, Philippines
The Department of Energy (DOE) has warned of a power supply shortfall in
the country this year as the El Nino dry weather phenomenon threatens to
pull down water levels, thus jeopardizing the availability of
electricity especially in the Philippines' second biggest island.
"This week, I will meet [the] energy community, energy stakeholders [to
talk about], among others, El Nino. [We know] hydropower is dependent on
water supply. Pag walang ulan, may El Nino, may problema [no rain, there
is El Nino, there is a problem] ," Secretary Angelo Reyes said.
The DOE chief said the agency will convene an industry-wide meeting on
Thursday to address the El Nino's potential impact on hydro power
plants, and to rationalize the maintenance schedule of those facilities
so they don't disrupt the country's power supply.
He said the government is stepping up its monitoring of hydro power
plants' output, particularly those located in Mindanao, which relies
heavily on such facilities for its electricity requirements.
"We have to see to it that they are operating and that they are
delivering the right amount of power given the constraint imposed on the
amount of water that will be available to them," he said.
The country's second largest island is already faced with a tight power
supply situation because of transmission line constraints and limited
generation.
The DOE earlier said that Mindanao's power supply hit a critical period
in 2009. This means existing generating capacity would not be able to
meet peak demand.
The impact of El Nino on the region's hydro power plants is expected to
aggravate the supply situation, as Mindanao's dependable generating
capacity of 1,500 megawatts largely hinges on the 700-megawatt Agus
generating facilities.
The tripping and scheduled maintenance of a number of power plants since
late last year, however, has brought down Mindanao's available capacity
to 1,208 megawatts as against a peak demand of 1,195 megawatts as of
February 2.
This means that Mindanao is already well short of the required power
reserves of at least 21 percent of demand.
Industry sources said the Malampaya project in Northwest Palawan also
plans to shut down its operation for maintenance starting February 10.
Maintenance would last up to 30 days, thus affecting the three natural
gas-fired power plants, namely the San Lorenzo , Santa Rita and Ilijan,
which have a combined capacity of 2,700 megawatts.
DA sets aside mitigation fund
For its part, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is realigning P1.7
billion from its regular budget this year to reduce the expected
production losses stemming from the El Nino.
DA said production losses under a mild El Nino scenario could reach
P8.09 billion, while the damage caused by a svere dry spell could run up
to P20.46 billion.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (Pagasa) had reported that this year's El Nino would
likely be moderate.
The farm sector accounts for a fifth of the Philippines' gross domestic
product (GDP). An indicator of economic performance, GDP is the amount
of final goods and services produced in the country.
In a statement, DA said it is setting aside P570 million for the palay
sector, P613.7 million for the corn sector, another P411 million for the
high-value commercial crops sector and P117.4 million more for the
fisheries industry.
The funds would be used for cloud-seeding operations over watershed
areas and the establishment of shallow tube wells and irrigation
systems. The agency said it would also buy and distribute microbial
fertilizers for affected corn areas, procure and distribute vegetable
seeds and build small scale irrigation facilities.
For the fisheries subsector, DA would extend input assistance in the
form of fish cages, shallow tube wells and livelihood assistance for
affected fisherfolk.
The DA's El Nino Mitigation Program will focus on 23 "highly vulnerable"
areas and 24 "moderately vulnerable" areas in the country.
Areas considered highly vulnerable to El Nino are Ilocos Sur, Ilocos
Norte, La Union, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan,
Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Cavite, Rizal, Occidental
Mindoro, Palawan, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Misamis Oriental,
Zamboanga City, Sarangani and South Cotabato.
Those considered moderately vulnerable are Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao,
Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon,
Romblon, Sorsogon, Aklan, Antique, Bohol, Samar, Zamboanga Norte,
Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga Sur, Bukidnon, Davao Oriental, Davao Sur
and Davao City.
(c) 2010,
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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