Energy Firm Readies Plant For Summer Peak

Energy firm STEAG State Power Inc. (SPI) gears up for the anticipated tighter Mindanao power supply condition in the coming months by undertaking and completing all the initial preventive maintenance activities before the peak of the summer season kicks in.

SPI President and CEO Dr. Bodo Goerlich said the company has scheduled the initial preventive maintenance activities during the first quarter of 2016 to ensure that its power plant is optimally available during summer.

During this period, electricity demand in Mindanao is expected to be at its peak while power production is expected to be low due to water supply constraints of the island’s hydro electric power plants.

“We carry out the necessary preventive maintenance activities ahead of the summer season to ensure optimum availability of our capacity especially during the critical summer months when demand is at its peak while supply is historically at its low,” Dr. Goerlich said.

SPI owns and operates Mindanao’s first coal-fired power plant located at the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental. The power plant has two identical power generating units with a capacity of 105 MW (net) each, or a total combined net generating output of 210 MW.

SPI successfully carried out its first preventive maintenance schedule for the year last February 6 and 7 involving its power generating unit No. 2. Its power generating unit No. 1 is scheduled for a two-day planned preventive maintenance on March 5 and 6, 2016.

Meanwhile, SPI power plant manager Dr. Carsten Evers said the timing of the preventive maintenance activities is critically important citing volatility in the power supply condition of the grid.

“In keeping with our commitment to efficiency, reliability and responsibility, SPI always takes into consideration the most appropriate timing of the maintenance activities in order to cushion the impact on the power consumers,” said Dr. Evers.

Evers also said that regular maintenance activities are necessary for the long-term reliability of power stations. He explained further that in SPI, preventive maintenance activities requiring relatively more days to complete are scheduled during the third quarter of the year when the power supply condition in Mindanao is expectedly more stable.

Since start of its operation in November 2006, SPI’s power plant has delivered more than 12 billion kWh of power to the Mindanao grid and has sustained a high availability rating of 90%. Through the years, the power plant posted an average unplanned outage rate of 2.5% which is way below its annual allowable unplanned rate allowance of 6.6%.

SPI is principally owned by a leading German power producer STEAG GmbH with local partners Aboitiz Power and La Filipina Uygongco Corporation. (SPI)