The state-owned 650-megawatt (MW) Malaya Thermal Power Plant is now in operation to provide supply to the Luzon grid after the 647-MW Sual power station collapsed on Monday.
A possible condenser tube leak caused a unit of the Sual power plant to falter, Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said in a brieing yesterday.
The Malaya thermal plant in Rizal started running on Tuesday afternoon and will supply additional power to the grid until the resume of the Sual Unit 1.
“Sual Unit 2 is running at 647 megawatts and Malaya TPP Unit 2 will be utilized at minimum stable capacity of 130 megawatts to maintain normal system conditions,” DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi said in a statement.
On Monday, the agency sent a team to the Sual Power Station to assess the units and ensure the reliability and safety of the plant.
READ: DOE looking into sudden Sual plant shutdown
“Our goals are getting the correct reports and pushing them to a higher degree in doing their jobs,” Cusi said. “It’s not just them giving the right account of what’s going on. More importantly, it’s the higher standard we are after.”
Funetebella assured there is no looming threat of brownouts or yellow alerts despite the Sual plant shutdown.
As of 1 PM yesterday, the Luzon grid had an available capacity of 9, 440 MW and a peak demand of 7, 973 MW. Net reserves were at 1, 164 MW in the afternoon and 1, 473 in the evening.
The Malampaya gas project is on maintenance shutdown until February 16, leaving the Luzon grid volatile to thin supply and higher electricity rates for the coming months.
*Photo from Shutterstock