Mindanao power shortage back as hydropower sources dry up

DAVAO CITY—An office serving as Malacañang’s eyes and ears in Mindanao said the El Niño phenomenon is making its presence felt in the island’s power supply, reducing the output of hydropower sources which have been providing cheap and clean energy to the island.

Two of the biggest sources of hydroelectricity in Mindanao are in Lanao and Bukidnon—the Agus and Pulangi Hydropower Complexes. They supply nearly half of the island’s electricity needs.

Romeo Montenegro, public affairs chief of the Mindanao Development Authority, Malacañang’s development arm in Mindanao, said data from the National Power Corp. showed that water level in Lake Lanao, which feeds the Agus hydropower plant, is near the critical level of 699.86 meters above sea level (masl). For the hydropower plant to operate, water level at the lake has to be at a minimum of 699.15 masl.

Montenegro said El Niño has resulted in reduced output of the hydropower plants.

On Oct. 30, he said, one of the hydropower plants, Pulangi IV, produced only 60 megawatts, a sharp decline from its output of 144 MW on Oct. 26.

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines  said on its website that as of Thursday, Mindanao is suffering from a power deficit of 58 MW. The island’s projected consumption was 1,398 MW while output from power sources was only 1,340 MW.

In key Mindanao cities, power firms have started implementing rotating brownouts because of the dip in power supply.

In this city, the Davao Light and Power Co. (DLPC), owned by power producer Aboitiz, has been implementing a two-hour daily rotating brownout.

DLPC said the brownouts were caused by the “derated capacity of Pulangi and Agus hydropower plants due to low water elevation” in Lake Lanao as a result of El Niño.

In Cagayan de Oro City, the Cagayan Electric Power and Light Co. also announced power interruptions “due to the continuing power shortage in Mindanao.”

In Kidapawan, the city government said it has allotted at least P5 million to help villagers cope with the effects of El Niño.

Mayor Joseph Evangelista said a portion of the amount would be used to purchase  yellow cassava, which farmers could plant in place of crops that are not drought-resistant.

“This is to ensure that no one will be hungry at the height of the expected devastation,” he said.

The mayor said if the drought worsens, fire trucks would ration water to remote areas of the town. Allan Nawal and Williamor Magbanua, Inquirer Mindanao