Luzon grid endures Malampaya shutdown

MANILA, Philippines – The Luzon grid has survived the one-month maintenance shutdown of the Malampaya deepwater gas-to-power project in offshore Palawan without any of the feared blackouts.

But it’s too early to pop the champagne bottles just yet, the Department of Energy (DOE) warned yesterday, saying summer has just officially started this month.

The Malampaya, project, the landmark natural gas field that fuels three power plants in Luzon, shut down for maintenance activities last March 15 and went back online on midnight of April 14.

“We (were) back online midnight of April 14,” said Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (Spex) managing director Sebastian Quiniones.

Spex heads the consortium that operates the natural gas field, which supplies power to the Lopez Group’s 1,000-megawatt (MW) Sta. Rita and 500-MW San Lorenzo plants in Batangas and Kepco Philippines’ 1,200-MW Ilijan plant, also in Batangas.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said while Malampaya has resumed operations, demand is still on the rise and thus, consumers should continue to conserve energy.

“The service contract operator has reported the completion of the Malampaya turnaround activities on schedule and has started natural gas deliveries for Sta. Rita, San Lorenzo and Ilijan,” Petilla said.

With the start of summer earlier this month, the DE will closely coordinate with energy stakeholders to ensure the stable supply of electricity, he said.

Nonetheless, he stressed the need for the public to be responsible energy users and to practice energy efficiency.

Citing data from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), on April 14, the Luzon grid recorded this year’s highest peak demand at 8,271 MW.

“Based on the projection, increasing demand is expected in the coming months particularly in May where historically the country reaches highest demand,” Petilla said.

Power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has also advised customers to conserve energy.

“Customers are highly encouraged to adopt energy efficiency measures. For instance, setting a 1.0-HP window type air conditioning unit to 25 degrees Celsius will result in lower consumption and corresponding savings of around P280 per month,” Meralco said.

Likewise, the power distributor urged consumers to check refrigerator doors for any cracks and leaks.

“For a 7-cu. ft. refrigerator, this scenario where doors do not seal properly and cold air escapes can add up an extra P84 per month on the electricity bill,” it said.

As early as last year, Petilla has sounded the alarm on the Luzon grid’s supply shortage this summer because of the Malampaya shutdown and the expected increase in demand.

The shortage was earlier estimated at 700 mw but energy efficiency measures, lower-than-expected demand and lower-than-projected temperature have helped temper the situation.

As of yesterday, the Luzon grid had reserves of 1,143 MW, with capacity at 9,611 MW and demand at 8,143 MW, according to the (NGCP).