DOE: 3 quake-hit power facilities still up for repair

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 18  -- The Department of Energy (DOE) reported that three more power plants damaged by the July 6, 2017 earthquake are still up for restoration for another month.

DOE Visayas field office Director Antonio Labios said that as of August 11   facilities under repair are the 186-megawatt (MW) Mahanagdong Units of Unified Leyte Geothermal Plants, 40-MW capacity from Unit 1 of Tongonan Power Plant, and the 400-MW High Voltage Direct Current cable facilities linking Luzon and Visayas grids.

“The transfer of power between Luzon to Visayas is still not possible at the moment. The NGCP (National Grid Corporation of the Philippines) are still on the process  of procuring  spare parts from abroad,” Labios said.

The ongoing restoration is the cause of rotational brownout in Eastern Visayas region, the official said. The target is to fully complete the repair within September.

The DOE is continuously monitoring the power situation within the Visayas grid to ensure that the remaining damaged facilities will be restored as soon as possible.

Labios presented before members of the Regional Development Council on the real power situation in Leyte and Samar provinces during a meeting here on Friday.

The official clarified that contrary to previous press releases, power supply is not yet fully back in quake-hit provinces in Eastern Visayas. (SQM/with reports by Madelene B. Perez, OJT/PNA)