Panay Island’s precarious power supply situation may continue as Palm Concepcion Power Corp.’s (PCPC) 135-megawatt circulating fluidized bed coal (CFBC) plant will not be able to come back online on March 30, 2024.PCPC said in a statement it is currently conducting its annual preventive maintenance service (PMS) scheduled from Feb. 18 to March 30, 2024, for its coal plant in Panay.It said a significant part of the PMS is the major overhaul of the turbine and generator but after the inspection and test by the General Electric (GE) service contractor, it was discovered that the generator sustained stator insulation damage.PCPC said this issue will be rectified by replacing the damaged parts to ensure the power plant’s long-term viability.The company said it will need to source new parts outside of the Philippines to address the damage to the generator. An inspection report will be done to determine the cause and extent of the damage and, more significantly, determine how soon we can get back online.“We are now conducting the necessary measures to resolve this matter as soon as possible. In light of this situation, we would like to inform the public that PCPC will not be synchronized with the grid by March 30, 2024. Nevertheless, PCPC will remain committed to our existing power supply agreements to ensure that our consumers will not be affected by the extended outage, and will continue to supply replacement power at no additional cost,” PCPC said.The Department of Energy is hoping the Panay power supply situation is expected to once the PCPC returns online and the Cebu-Negros-Panay transmission upgrade is completed.The DOE made the statement after the Panay-subgrid suffered partial blackout on March 1 after a coal plant went on forced shutdown.“In the meantime, the DOE reiterates the need for cooperation among the generators, distribution utility, and the system operator in Panay,” the agency said in a statement.“The general public is also encouraged to conserve energy while we await the completion of the transmission upgrade and maintenance of PCPC by the end of March,” DOE said.DOE said long-term solutions, such as the energization of several renewable and conventional power plants and the completion of transmission projects to support the power generation projects and the growth of the load centers, are in the pipeline.
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