Manila: The Department of Energy (DOE) on Saturday said full-force efforts are underway to swiftly restore electricity and energy services in Typhoon Opong-affected areas across the country.
According to Philippines News Agency, in a statement, the agency said on-grid power plants BACMAN Units 1-3 in Albay and Sorsogon, with a dependable capacity of 133 megawatts (MW), as well as the Palayan Binary Plant in Albay, which has a capacity of 28 MW, have been restored. However, the Nabas 2 Wind facility in Aklan, with a 13.8 MW dependable capacity, remained out of operation as of the latest report.
The DOE also reported that nine diesel power plants (DPPs) under the National Power Corporation's (NPC) Small Power Utilities Group were fully operational, but challenges persist with several distribution lines (DL). Three DPPs are on standby due to non-operational DLs, 32 DPPs are generating power but lack operational DLs, and 14 DPPs have DLs that are only partially energized due to storm damage.
On the transmission side, three 69kV (kilovolt) NPC Transmission Lines (TL) in Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, and Occidental Mindoro were partially energized due to DL faults, while the Masbate 69kV TL was on standby. The DOE stated that the NPC Task Force has deployed restoration teams to reduce restoration times in affected mini-grids in Camiguin Island and Cagayan.
As a preventive measure, NPC Power Barges 113 and 120 were disconnected from the Marinduque Grid, and Power Barge 114 was disconnected from the Ticao Grid. Transmission services in Luzon and Visayas have returned to normal with the restoration of the Batangas-Taysan 69kV TL in Luzon and the Calbayog-Allen 69kV TL in the Visayas.
Ambuklao and Binga Dams in Benguet province were conducting controlled spilling operations, with two gates open. Magat Dam, covering Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, and Isabela, had two gates open while maintaining normal power generation.
The DOE reported that 32 electric cooperatives (ECs) in 27 provinces across 10 regions were being monitored, with 27 ECs experiencing partial power interruptions. ECs under total power interruption were mostly in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa. The Task Force Kapatid (Siblinghood), which mobilizes line workers from non-affected ECs, deployed 37 personnel to support restoration and rehabilitation in their assigned areas.
National fuel supply remained sufficient and stable. All bulk facilities and liquefied petroleum gas refilling plants previously reported as nonfunctional resumed operations as of 1 p.m. Friday. However, 37 gasoline stations stopped operations due to damage, flooding, and outages. The DOE also stated that all electric vehicle charging stations were operating normally, except for two sites in San Juan, La Union, and San Jose de Buenavista, Antique.
"The strength of our energy sector lies in its unity. The Department of Energy is working hand-in-hand with power generators, transmission operators, and distributors to ensure a swift and coordinated restoration of electricity services," Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said. "Through the Task Force on Energy Resiliency, we are mobilizing every available resource, prioritizing the safety of our personnel and the integrity of our energy assets, to bring light back to affected communities as quickly as possible," she added.
