NGCP says Negros, Panay power outage not caused by a single energy player

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has clarified that the series of power outages in the sub-grids of Negros and Panay islands in late April was not caused by a single energy player.

The three-day power outages that hit the Visayan islands on April 27 to 29 was among the subjects discussed in various congressional hearings into the performance of the NGCP.

In a statement, the grid operator explained the incidents that led to the power interruptions “may be caused by many factors and not only a single energy industry player.”

The company said that the April 27 disturbance was identified at the Bacolod-Silay 69-kiloVolt (kV) line which is co-owned with the Central Negros Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CENECO) and “no fault was found along the NGCP-owned segment and its protection system functioned as intended.”

“Subsequently, Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (PCPC), with an estimated generation load of 135 megawatts (MW), tripped 1.3 seconds after fault clearing,” it said.

“The resulting undervoltage and underfrequency were severe and unrecoverable, directly causing the tripping of other power plants, and ultimately, the Panay sub-grid collapse,” it added.

The said subsequent trippings which occurred April 28 and April 29 “were a direct result of the avoidable events of 27 April 2023,” according to the NGCP.

The grid operator added that other contributing factors that made it difficult for the Panay sub-grid to immediately recover from the tripping include unplanned outages and deration of other plants, insufficient non-variable energy sources and unique configuration of the Negros-Panay sub-grid, and the delay in completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay 230kV Backbone project.

With this, the NGCP emphasized that such incidents were caused by many factors and not just by a lone power industry player.

“The energy sector is an interconnected system among generators, the transmission network, and distribution utilities or electric cooperatives. We have long advocated that a holistic approach to power planning, particularly proper, mindful, and responsible generation and transmission planning, are key to a stable grid. Basic principles such as individual island self-sufficiency, decreased inter-island interdependency, and transmission redundancies must be considered. Improvements must be made on the entire system,” NGCP said.

The company said it already identified several solutions involving all sectors of the energy industry, including clearance of line obstructions, review of generator settings, improvement in generation planning, enhancement of information dissemination, effective use of emerging technologies, acceleration of grid reinforcement projects, and review of the grid code.

“We continue to look for opportunities for improvement, for broader solutions to long standing energy issues, as we coordinate with other energy players for a synchronized plan of action. For its part, NGCP is also committed to expedite transmission side solutions, including the completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay 230kV Backbone Project,” the company added.—AOL, GMA Integrated News