The Department of Energy (DOE) said as much as 300 megawatts worth of additional power is coming online during the summer months.
Mario Marasigan, DOE assistant secretary, said Monday at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public forum the power plants are located in Luzon and help boost supply given the expected demand surge as the heat index rises.
“Most are in Luzon. There is one 150-MW coal plant that will connect (to the grid) but the rest are renewable energy companies (generating) solar, biomass and some hydro. Around 300 MW will come online this summer,” Marasigan said.
According to Marasigan, supply margins are more than enough to meet projected peak demand given more than 2,000 MW of excess power supply in Luzon and 200 to 500 MW excess capacity in the Visayas and Mindanao.
He also said should the El Nino weaken as forecasted and the rains come early, several hydro power plants will return and resume their operations.
Only two hydro power plants are running. The others are either on maintenance shutdown or de-rated.
Earlier, the DOE raised the likelihood of yellow alerts in April and May in the Luzon Grid as hydroelectric plants run low due to the El Nino.
The yellow alert goes up when grid reserve is low. Red alerts are declared when supply is insufficient and power interruptions are imminent.
