Minda public relations head Adrian Tamayo said in a press conference that the island even has an excess supply.
“Simply saying there is no threat (brownouts), sobrang sobra (power supply). [In the] May 9 elections it is far situation that there will be a brownout,” Tamayo said.
He also said the power plants in Mindanao are forecasted to generate around 3,000 megawatts (MW) while the excess in supply is predicted at 767 MW on election day.
Based on the data released by Minda in March, out of Mindanao’s total system capacity of 2,751 MW, coal sources account for more than of Mindanao’s generation mix at 1,490.5MW or 54 percent; diesel 523.2 MW or 19 percent; hydro 591.2 MW or 21 percent; geothermal 75 MW or three percent; solar 56.9 MW or two percent; and biomass 14.9 MW or one percent.
Power transmission operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) issued a warning in January this year of thin power supply in the dry season due to higher demand in the new normal. It highlighted the need for policies to support demand side management to ensure adequate power during the upcoming presidential elections in May.
According to the Department of Energy (DOE), it had forecast a total peak demand of 12,387 MW for Luzon to occur in the last week of May, a 747-MW increase from the actual 2021 peak load of 11,640MW that occurred on May 28, 2021.
For Visayas, the peak demand occurred in December, mainly due to the activity brought about by the holiday season, while the peak demand in Mindanao occurred in August.
NGCP, meanwhile, announced that it is set to activate the 24/7 operations of its Overall Command Center from May 8 to 10, 2022 as part of its preparations to secure power transmission operations and facilities during this year’s national and local elections.
As early as February, NGCP’s Power Task Force Elections (PTFE), a special team formed to ensure the security and reliability of the transmission network across the country during the elections, already set out with preparatory activities.
NGCP said maintenance works and construction activities inside substations and within 300 meters of energized power lines will be suspended from May 2 to 16, while activities that require power interruptions will be suspended from April 24 to May 8, except in emergency cases.
For the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC), President and Chief Operations Officer Rodger Velasco told SunStar Davao in an event on March 21 that there is sufficient power supply on the day of the elections in Davao City and its other franchise areas.
DLPC’s franchise covers Davao City and Panabo City, Carmen, Dujali and Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte.
Velasco said they already coordinated with the Commission on Elections and Department of Education to ensure the stability of power supply during the polls.
“Halos weekly naay meeting para lang ang election process mahimong successful (We have been conducting meetings almost weekly just to ensure the election process would be successful),” he said.
Aside from the power supply, Velasco also said they have also been visiting polling precincts to ensure the power connections in these areas would be functional.
They are also prepared in case of a possible technical issue such as issues in one of its power plants or the electrical posts in the voting precincts might be hit by vehicles.
