The Energy Department convened an interagency task force to secure energy facilities in the wake of the ongoing atrocities in Marawi City.
“I have written a letter of request to the Secretary of National Defense to help us secure energy facilities [power plants, transmission tower, distribution facilities, oil depots etc.] in Mindanao and other vulnerable areas nationwide,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.
National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said it was closely monitoring power supply in Mindanao following the lockdown and the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao. National Grid said in a statement that as of Wednesday, its Mindanao operations and maintenance was under normal operations.
It said power from Agus 1 hydro plant to Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative feeder remained normal but currently, only 5 megawatts were being drawn compared to the normal 12-MW loading. “There is a monitored tripping affecting Marawi City caused by a disturbance at our Mindanao State University load-end switching station,” the company said.
“The rest of Mindanao is experiencing normal power supply. So far, NGCP personnel are secure. NGCP is preparing its contingency plans for the next 60 days,” the company said.
Meanwhile, National Grid said it continued talks with the Department of Information and Communications Technology. DICT Undersecretary Denis Villorente and other officials were given a tour of National Grid’s Dasmariñas substation by National Grid chief administrative officer Anthony Almeda.
The visit follows previous coordination meetings in support of the national broadband program.
“NGCP is pleased to welcome DICT to its Dasmariñas substation, as we are eager to showcase the
availability of our facilities and push this initiative of bringing high-speed internet nationwide. NGCP’s wide fiber optic network and related resources are ready to support this priority program under Pres. Duterte’s administration. We are confident that with these continuing talks, we can look forward to the program’s expedited implementation,” the company said.
National Grid, as the country’s sole power transmission operator, has existing fiber
optic facilities that run across all three grids: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The fiber optic network is used primarily for internal communication purposes, particularly to enable real time communication between its facilities, and with generators for and distribution utilities.