PDRRMC passes resolution to address power outages in Iloilo

By John Noel E. Herrera 

The Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) passed a resolution urging the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to address the expansion of the Barotac Viejo substation to reduce the risk of power outages in the province.

In a PDRRMC meeting on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., who chairs the council, cited the directive of President Ferdinand “Bong-bong” Marcos Jr. of expanding the substation along with the immediate action on the third stage of the Cebu-Negros-Panay backbone project (CNP3).

Defensor stressed that taking immediate action on the expansion of the Barotac Viejo substation would increase the protection of the system, while the NGCP is still trying to address the CNP3 project, which would “probably” take two months.

“It is correct that the substation is easier to fix than the submarine cable (CNP3). So, that’s what we did, we pass a resolution and hopefully, we can finish that first, then we can reduce the risk (of power outages),” Defensor said.

“Kung kay-uhon ang substation, mataas ang protection, mabuhinan risgo ta,” he added.

The PDRRMC will also adopt the other directives raised by Marcos through separate resolutions, which include:

-urging the NGCP to constantly update Iloilo province on the status of the grid;

-to synchronize protection relays of transmission, generation, and distribution;

-review the reliability of each Visayas sub-grids, considering the presence of significant capacities of the variable renewable energy and sudden change of supply-demand;

-to fast-track the signing of the Ancillary Service Procurement Agreement (ASPA); and

-to implement conservation measures at the household level.

“We echoed the directive and we localize it so that we will help in pushing for the solutions that the President directed to the NGCP,” Defensor stressed.

The issues and plans will also be raised at the regional level as agreed by the council.

Meanwhile, Representatives Raul C. Tupas, Julienne Baronda, Michael Gorriceta, Jose Francisco Benitez, Lorenz Defensor, and James Ang passed a resolution urging the Congressional Committee on Energy “to immediately conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the region-wide unscheduled and intermittent blackout in Western Visayas.”