‘Simultaneous tripping’ led to 7-plant shutdown

An attendant at an Internet cafe in Makati City waits for electricity to come back as a massive power outage leaves a large part of Luzon, including Metro Manila, without power on Wednesday. RAFFY LERMA

MANILA, Philippines—Mylene C. Capongcol, director of the electric power industry management bureau at the Department of Energy, told the Inquirer on Thursday that “simultaneous tripping” at the 230-kilovolt Biñan-Calaca transmission line and at the second unit of the Calaca coal-fired power plant in Batangas at 1:51 p.m. on Wednesday led to shutdowns at seven power plants in Luzon, causing a massive outage.

Capongcol said the tripping affected power plants in Batangas, Quezon and Pangasinan provinces, shedding 3,800 megawatts, or roughly 45 percent of the 8,300 MW demand on Wednesday.

The power plants that shut down included the Sual coal-fired power plant in Pangasinan, operated by Japanese-led Team Energy and managed by the energy arm of San Miguel Corp.; Korea Electric Power Corp.’s Ilijan gas-fired power plant, also run by San Miguel; First Gen Corp.’s Sta. Rita and San Lorenzo natural gas plants; and the Quezon Power Philippines Ltd. power plant, majority-owned by Electricity Generating Co. of Thailand.

Also affected were the Calaca coal-fed plant of the Consunji-led Semirara Mining Corp. and the Bauang private power plant.—Amy R. Remo