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CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro: Amid the declaration of a state of calamity due to a power crisis in Occidental Mindoro, the power supply situation in Oriental Mindoro is also not improving as the local electric cooperative had issued a yellow warning on Monday, April 3.
In a post on its social media page on Monday, the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (Ormeco) said that because of the low production of renewable sources, the hydroelectric plants and the windmill farm, the power distributor is now experiencing a deficiency of 3.05 megawatts (MW) from a demand of 61.02 MW, and with a capacity of only 56.42 MW and a curtailed feeder of 4.6 MW.
In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Engr. Humphrey Dolor, Ormeco general manager, clarified that the deficit posted on their page is only a forecast, and that as of now, the situation is still manageable.
"As of now, we still have a 9.25-MW reserve capacity, but we are not using it in anticipation of the increased demand in the coming months. We also temporarily halted our exportation to Omeco (Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative) because we are guarding our demand," Dolor said.
He said the yellow warning was raised because the power deficit is around 10 percent from the projected demand.
The general manager also said that the possibility of a rate increase is highly probable as the cooperative is going to use its emergency power, which is not subsidized. He added that the projected increase is within the range set by the Energy Regulatory Commission.
In a power dispatch report forwarded to The Manila Times, Dolor said that as of April 4, 2023, the cooperative has a total available capacity of 63.46 MW with an actual load of 54.21 MW and a reserve of 9.25 MW.
"We are anticipating low production from the Linao-Cawayan Mini-hydroelectric Plants [and] the Inabasan Mini-hydrolectric Plant due to the dry season and low production from the Phesi (Philippines Hybrid Energy Systems Inc.) Wind Mill Power farm because of the weakening wind blows," Dolor said.
He said Ormeco is scheduled to have a dialogue with Sen. Rafael "Raffy" Tulfo to discuss the situation in Occidental Mindoro and how the power company can provide assistance.
