KIDAPAWAN
CITY -- Power consumers in Cotabato City have been experiencing two to three
rotating power interruptions due to limited power supply Cotabato Light and
Power Company (Colight) had been getting from the National Grid Corporation of
the Philippines (NGCP).
In
North Cotabato, last year’s long hours of brownout could even go higher as
Mindanao’s power supply deteriorates.
Kidapawan
City and other service areas of the Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco)
have been experiencing four to six hours power interruption every day since
last week.
Lory Tan, Yeb Sano, Vince Perez and
other leaders of WWF, the chief campaigner of Earth Hour, will deny of course
that they are jumping with joy. But that is what they are campaigning, that power plants should come mainly from renewables like hydro, biomass, solar and wind. If coming from dirty "non-renewables like coal and natural gas, they are unhappy because such energy sources contribute to "man-made/anthroogenic" global warming and climate change. The renewables on the other hand, help "save the planet."
Meanwhile, the anti-Meralco,
anti-privatization of NPC hydro plants, or even anti-coal crusaders, cannot go
full blast in their campaigns. Even if Meralco is not in Mindanao, even if the
hydro plants are in the hands of government, even if coal power is very limited
in Mindanao, brown outs, which are worse than power rate hikes, are happening.
In Luzon, even outside Meralco area
(M.Manila, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan), tight or low power reserves (only 200-300 MW
instead of the relatively safe 600 MW) can mean rotating brown outs if just one
power plant with 300 MW capacity will suddenly conk out. A small bearing gave
way, which damaged the big bearings, which damaged other moving parts, and
power supply is suddenly zero. These are parts of daily realities, that is why
high reserves by base load plants, at least 600 MW, is important.
Peak load plants like diesel can
provide extra power of course (peak hours are usually 11am to 2pm weekdays, then 7-9pm). But diesel is expensive compared to coal, hydro or natural gas. So using diesel plants will mean higher generation
charge, which constitutes between 50-60 percent of our monthly electricity bill. Then the anti-power rate hike groups will rally in the streets, go to
Congress and Supreme Court, go to mainstream media, facebook and twitter, to oppose any
power rate hike.
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See the windmills, there are no houses and fishing village, no beach resorts either, no other business enterprises. This is because some of those wind towers can fall down someday, or the blades can overheat and also fall down. Hence, dangerous to people and structures.
But don't those wind plants bring down the cost of electricity in the country? No. On the contrary, they contribute to expensive electricity because of the feed in tariff (FIT) that they are entitled to, courtesy of the Renewable Energy (RE) Act of 2008. The FIT for wind power is P8.53/kwh, and for solar, P9.68/kwh. FIT is add-on charge to existing generation charge. So if average generation charge for the month is P5/kwh + FIT of P8.53 = P13.83/kwh. Electricity consumers, residential or commercial or industrial, will bear this burden.
--------------But don't those wind plants bring down the cost of electricity in the country? No. On the contrary, they contribute to expensive electricity because of the feed in tariff (FIT) that they are entitled to, courtesy of the Renewable Energy (RE) Act of 2008. The FIT for wind power is P8.53/kwh, and for solar, P9.68/kwh. FIT is add-on charge to existing generation charge. So if average generation charge for the month is P5/kwh + FIT of P8.53 = P13.83/kwh. Electricity consumers, residential or commercial or industrial, will bear this burden.
See also:
The Renewable Energy (RE) law, February 18, 2011
Energy Econ 2: Renewable Energy and High Electricity Prices, July 30, 2012
Energy Econ 7: Renewables, FIT, RPS and Climate, September 24, 2012
Energy Econ 10: Climate Alarmism and FIT for Renewables, June 28, 2013
Energy Econ 13: Universal Charges and Thin Power Reserves, February 13, 2014
Energy Econ 14: Power Rate Hike, Who Colluded?, February 22, 2014
Energy Econ 15: Electricity Angsts, Presentation at UP Diliman, March 08, 2014
Energy Econ 16: Electricity and Development, March 20, 2014
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