A lawmaker in the Philippines is calling for amendments to the Philippine Grid Code and the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) in order to prevent a recurrence of the recent blackout that affected the island of Panay and neighboring provinces from January 2 to 5. Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) party-list Rep. Sergio Dagooc has highlighted the need to separate the roles of the grid system operator and the transmission system operator to ensure better control and regulation of the power supply.
During a legislative hearing, it was revealed that the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is currently serving as both the grid system operator and the transmission system operator. This dual role has led to challenges in effectively managing regulating reserve, contingency reserve, and demand control. According to Section 7.6 of the Philippine Grid Code, demand control measures should be implemented when the system operator issues a Red Alert notice due to generation deficiency or multiple outage contingencies in an island grid operation.
Demand control mechanisms include automatic and manual load dropping, demand reduction by the system operator, demand disconnection initiated by users, customer demand management, and voluntary load curtailment. Rep. Dagooc emphasized the importance of distinguishing between the roles of the transmission operator and the grid system operator. He pointed out that the transmission operator should inform the system operator, but in the current setup, NGCP fulfills both roles, which hinders the transparency and availability of accurate data.
Furthermore, Rep. Dagooc alleged that NGCP concealed the period between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., during which the first power tripping occurred and the subsequent full blackout took place. This information was not reported to the Department of Energy (DoE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). NGCP grid operations manager Clark Agustin countered these claims by stating that they had sent text messages to the DoE and the ERC regarding the grid situation.
The ERC Chairman, Monalisa Dimalanta, acknowledged that the commission had conducted a technical audit of NGCP’s grid system in 2020, but the audits were outsourced to a consultancy firm due to a lack of internal manpower. Dimalanta explained that the commission does not have sufficient resources to conduct audits in-house.
NGCP spokesperson and Vice President Cynthia Dimalanta, speaking to reporters after the hearing, expressed the company’s commitment to finding comprehensive solutions to electricity issues not only on Panay Island but throughout the entire country.
In conclusion, the recent blackout in the Philippines has prompted a lawmaker to call for amendments to the Philippine Grid Code and Epira to prevent similar incidents in the future. Separating the roles of the grid system operator and the transmission system operator is seen as a crucial step towards ensuring better control and regulation of the power supply. The need for transparency and accurate data reporting has also been emphasized. It remains to be seen how these proposed amendments will be implemented and how they will contribute to a more reliable and resilient power grid in the Philippines.
Source: The Manila Times
