Bombings, ROW violations may further cut expected fall in hydropower output brought by worse El Niño in last 28 yrs
The national government has assembled a task force to address the security of power transmission lines following a recent spate of bombings which toppled three transmission towers in the Lanao area.
Tower # 20 of Agus 2 – Kibawe line is one of the two towers bombed late night of 29 October 2015, causing the isolation of Agus 1 and 2 Hydro Power Plants from the Mindanao Grid.
This was disclosed by industry sources (who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons) following the failure of a last ditch effort earlier last week by concerned agencies to bring the various stakeholders to a compromise regarding Right-of-Way (ROW) violations by landowners in Districts 2 (Lanao) and 6 (Socssksargen).
Fears of extended rotating brownouts brought by what forecasters say could be the worst El Niño phenomenon in 28 years were raised by participants during the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Campaign on the impact of El Nino to the Mindanao Energy Plan held last November 12 in Cagayan de Oro City by JCI Mindanao, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDa), Cagayan Electric Power & Light Co. (Cepalco), Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the Department of Energy (DOE) that sought to project the potential impact of El Nino and Government’s Action Plan on mitigating its adverse impacts; promote demand side management and energy efficiency conservation measures.
The DOE expects strong El Niño conditions which emerged last month may last until April to June 2016 which are comparable or may even surpass the sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) observed during 1997-1998 El Niño event.
However, DOE expects the energy outlook to worsen further with unexpected delays in the operation of committed power projects, lower hydropower than forecasted, ROW violations that could prevent the transmission of available power to more areas, peace and Order, e.g. bombing of critical lines or election-related situations, all of which could result in the higher occurrence of forced outages.
Toppled tower # 19, shot during the initial investigation of NGCP. Longer rotational power interruptions may be implemented because of the isolation of Agus 1 and 2 Hydro Power Plants.
The Mindanao grid is especially vulnerable to the last three scenarios since over half of its present capacity is provided by the Agus-Pulangi hydropower plants which are already being curtailed due to their lower water levels.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has repeatedly blown the whistle on ROW violations and more recently, the escalating numbers of attempts to bomb its transmission towers, especially in the Lanao and Socssksargen districts.
Some eight days after three NGCP towers in Patani, Marawi City, tower #13 along Agus 2 – Kibawe 138-kilovolt (kV) line 2 in Guimba, Marawi City was bombed by unidentified perpetrators. While the explosion did not topple the tower, the damaged it sustained caused it to lean, putting the transmission facility in a more critical condition.
“This is the 10th tower bombed by lawless elements in 2015 alone, with 5 towers bombed within the month of October. We are very concerned that this situation seems to be escalating, with each incident happening progressively closely to each other,” the company stressed. “With the help of the local authorities, several other bombs were found on our facilities, but these did not detonate and were safely disposed of,” NGCP said in a statement.
Last October 29, three towers along the same transmission line were bombed. Of the three, two structures, towers #19 and #20 were toppled. The third tower, #21 sustained damage, but was fortunately not toppled.
“NGCP is appealing to the public to help monitor the safety of the towers so that transmission services remain uninterrupted,” NGCP said. “If anyone sees anything suspicious at or around our towers and facilities, please inform us immediately. You may text us your tips and other information at 09178791077.”
NGCP line personnel rig temporary structures to re-energize the Agus 2-Kibawe 138kV line 2. On November 9, the said transmission line was completely restored(Courtesy of Alvin Elchico)
Restoration of transmission services to affected areas were likewise hampered by landowners who are preventing NGCP line teams from conducting much needed vegetation clearing activities. Elements of the Philippine Armed Forces are currently assisting NGCP in entering the properties of the uncooperative landowners to expedite restoration.
NGCP has repeatedly appealed to the government and the Philippine Army for assistance in resolving escalating security and right-of-way issues in Mindanao. (BWM News Bureau)
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