The Philippine Independent Power Producers Association (PIPPA) is asking the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to amend the rules governing power plant outages.
In its petition, the group wants the ERC to re-evaluate the existing interim outage rules, saying this “should only be recommendatory in nature and allow all planned outages.”
PIPPA argued that outages due to major maintenance and overhauls should not be counted against the industry’s previously determined outage allowance.
Under existing interim rules, pulverized coal plants are allowed a combined forced and unforced unavailable days of 44.7; circulating fluidized bed (CFB) coal, 32.3 days; combined cycle gas plants, 20.2 days; gas turbine, 29.2 days; diesel, 19 days; geothermal, 19.7 days; hydro, 29.9; oil-fired thermal, 58.6 days and biomass plants, 39.7 days.
Under PIPPA’s proposal, forced or maintenance outages reset to 95.9 days for pulverized coal; 61.5 days for CFB coal; 47.93 days for natural gas; 72.6 days for diesel; 138.8 days for geothermal; 29.3 days for hydroelectric power plants; and 33.1 days for pump hydro projects.
PIPPA also said non-compliant outages should be provided a “reasonable time” to comply and that variable renewable energy sources such as run-of-river plants must be entirely excluded from the outage rules.
The group also requested a suspension of the interim outage rule until the resolution of its petition for a rules change or at the very least, until the end of the year.
The group similarly wants the ERC to rescind any penalty imposed for violation of the interim rules until the regulatory body decides on the petition for an amendment.
