The Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative, Inc. (OMECO) is facing a power shortage of about 22.5 megawatts (MWs), which is leading to frequent power outages in the area.
To address this issue, several measures are being taken by the government.
OMECO is currently receiving roughly 12MWs of power, with 5MWs running for around 9 hours per day from Occidental Mindoro Consolidated Power Corporation (OMCPC). To increase the power supply, Power Systems, Inc. (PSI) has an existing diesel power plant in the capital town of San Jose that can supply OMECO with 6MWs of power.
The PSI-San Jose power plant and the corresponding fuel would cost around Php70 million per month. This measure would give the residents of Occidental Mindoro roughly 6-7 hours of electricity per day.
The NEA is also taking steps to mitigate the power shortage by procuring additional power supply.
The DOE has issued a Certificate of Exemption to allow OMECO to enter into a negotiated procurement for an Emergency Power Supply Agreement (EPSA) for 17MWs.
NEA and OMECO solicited possible suppliers for the EPSA, and DMCI Power Corporation (DPC) appears to be the only power company that can provide immediate power supply in the shortest amount of time. DPC committed to supply 10MWs within one (1) month and the remaining 7MWs in two months.
Moreover, 4 units of diesel generator sets (at 2MW per unit) are in the possession of electric cooperatives in Region 8.
NEA is currently assessing if these four units are fit for use and available for dispatch. If a unit is found to be fit for use, it would be dispatched immediately to OMECO. The said units would be used as reserved power assets until such time that DPC would be able to deliver its committed power supply.
In addition, the NEA will facilitate and monitor the delivery of additional power supply in the province, i.e., 17 MW from DMCI Power Corporation and 5 MW from Power Systems, Inc.
The National Power Corporation (NPC) will also explore how it can provide additional supply in the province.
The cost of the fuel can be provided by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) or the local government units (LGUs), depending on the arrangements in the use of available calamity funds.
To address the immediate power shortage, the Task Force Energy Resiliency will conduct daily briefings with the local government on the power situation and developments in Occidental Mindoro.
For the medium and long-term solutions, the NEA and DOE suggested evaluating the power supply agreements (PSA) of OMECO and interconnecting the Mindoro Island to the grid.
Moreover, the financial stability of the National Power Corporation (NPC) needs to be ensured.
The government agencies are committed to resolving the power shortage in Occidental Mindoro and are working towards long-term solutions.
