Marinduque powerless by month’s end; rotating brownouts on

SANTA CRUZ, Marinduque, Philippines – The province might be without electricity by the end of the month with fuel for the province’s lone diesel power plant running out by July 27, said an advisory from the National Power Corporation (Napocor) here received by the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Sunday.

The province has been experiencing power shortage for the nth time since 2008 due to fuel shortage and/or broken down power generating units.

With the present fuel shortage and broken power generators, the Marinduque Electric Cooperative (Marelco) has no other options but to implement anew schedules of rotating brownouts.

The six towns of this province, since Thursday, have been experiencing 8-hour to 16-hour power outages in a rotating schedule as the local electric cooperative rations the province’s very limited power supply available.

Some interior villages are even experiencing up to 24 hours of power outages.

It will be a double whammy, however, for Marinduque folk.

Nelson Molina, plant superintendent of the Napocor–Boac Diesel Power Plant (DPP), informed consumers here in an advisory dated July 22 that the fuel delivery last Friday of 108,000 liters would only last until July 27, 2011, despite the province’s present set-up of rotational brownout.

Molina emphasized they were expecting no additional fuel delivery this month from their supplier hence, the Boac DPP would totally shut down on July 27 or upon the depletion of the fuel.

With the shutdown of the power plant, only 1.3 megawatts can be supplied by Power Barge 120 since the other 3 units of power barges are still under repair, he said.

The prevailing demand of electricity in the province is 6.8 mw, according to the Napocor advisory.

However, the remaining operational power unit can only produce a total of 1.3 mw, which, according to Molina, could only supply electricity for one town.

Molina did not say now the Boac DPP would ration its remaining power supply if it ran out of fuel.

No dates were also given by the Napocor on when the new shipment of fuel would arrive and when the power generators would be fixed.