DAVAO CITY — Energy officials said more investors are needed in the power supply sector, particularly for Mindanao, to meet the island’s projected 10,200-megawatt (MW) additional capacity requirement by 2040.
Department of Energy (DoE) Assistant Secretary Redentor E. Delola, speaking at the 2018 Mindanao Energy Investment Forum held here Oct. 11, said that while a 1,400-MW surplus power for the southern mainland is expected within the medium term, more generation plants are needed for the long term.
“This surplus will, however, not last for very long considering Mindanao’s growth. There is a need for more power plants and more sources of energy to avoid a repeat of the Mindanao power crisis four years ago,” he said.
A total of 1,332.43 MW of committed power projects are expected to enter the grid between 2018 to 2025.
Mr. Delola said they are also hopeful that another 1,937.28 MW of proposed power projects will push through before 2025.
Mindanao currently has a capacity of about 2,400 MW, based on data from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
The NGCP’s Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), which will loop in Mindanao to the linked Visayas-Luzon grids, is also underway and targeted for completion by 2020. The MVIP will pave the way for a nationwide sharing of supply.
The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), meanwhile, said the guiding policy is to put premium on renewable energy investments to achieve a balanced mix of 50-50 with fossil fuel sources.
The present mix in Mindanao is 60% fossil fuel, mainly from coal-fired plants, and 40% green energy.
“We want to make renewable energy as attractive to investors….What we want in the future is essentially to make renewable energy as attractive as conventional energy,” MinDA Assistant Secretary Romeo M. Montenegro said at the forum.
“Our target is to have a diversified mix of energy source but we put a premium on renewable energy,” he added.
Mr. Montenegro, who also heads the technical working group of the Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee, said they are glad to see the emergence of generation assets located at load points which decentralizes sourcing and minimizes supply disruptions.
There are currently 33 embedded power plants and 20 grid-connected plants in Mindanao. — Carmencita A. Carillo
