Batangas power plants that sustained damage during the series of earthquakes that struck the province on Saturday are still being repaired, compounding the thin reserves in the Luzon grid.
The repairs have prompted the Energy Department to hold talks with the Energy Regulatory Commission, Philippine Electricity Market Corp. and other industry players to mitigate price spikes due to the loss of generating capacity amid higher demand.
The department said in statement PEMC, operator of the country’s electricity spot market, reported that the current condition of the power market was still normal despite the loss of supply since Saturday.
It said PEMC also reported that prices in WESM were within normal level due to lower demand during the Holy Week and despite reduced power generation.
Officials said WESM prices, however, spiked to P10 per kilowatt-hour on Saturday from an average of P2 to P3 per kWh shortly after the earthquake struck and supply went down.
The department, meanwhile, is pushing for the speedy repairs of the major power plants that sustained damage following a swarm of earthquakes that hit Batangas.
“We are continuously and closely coordinating with power industry players, especially those on the side of the generation industry for the safe and immediate rehabilitation of the power plants affected by the earthquake last Saturday,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.
Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., the country’s second biggest oil refiner, meanwhile, is starting up operations of the Tabangao refinery in Batangas after implementing a controlled shutdown.
“A controlled shutdown was instituted in line with operating protocols in order to ensure the safety of personnel and assess any damage potentially caused by the earthquakes,” Pilipinas Shell disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange.
Batangas was hit by four strong earthquakes that caused a power outage at Pilipinas Shell’s 110,000 barrel-per-day Tabangao refinery.
