Blackout: Iloilo losing up to P500 million daily

[Lee]

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MANILA, Philippines — Iloilo City stands to lose around between P400 million to P500 million daily – or P 1.5 billion in three days – following the massive blackout that hit Panay Island since Jan. 2.

“In three days, we would have lost P1.5 billion. What a way to start the new year!” Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said yesterday, referring to the figures estimated by the city’s Local Economic Development & Investment Promotion (LEDIP) office.

It used as basis Iloilo City’s annual gross domestic product or the total economic output of the city in one year, which stands at P145.05 billion.

“On the average, Iloilo City economy is at P347 million per day. But that was the data for 2022. Plus, we should also consider other intermediate and primary processes output that could also possibly contribute on our GDP,” LEDIP officer Velma Jane Lao said.

With the power outages, she said that the services sector is the hardest hit.

“Although residents have trooped to hotels and malls, these establishments have to ramp up their expenses on generator sets and fuel. Machines have bogged down. Restaurants have complained of food spoilage,” she said.

On the government side, Lao said they could not deliver their work well because of the unfavorable working conditions due to sweltering heat.

Treñas likewise described the current situation in Panay and some parts of Guimaras Island as “terrible,” lamenting that the improvement of transmission lines has been delayed several times.

“Now we are suffering because of these delays,” he said.

“The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines needs to shape up. Congress needs to investigate the matter and restudy their franchise. The national government through the Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the President should use all the powers in their mandate to ensure that the transmission lines of NGCP should be improved at the earliest possible time,” he said.

Following another round of massive power outages, the DOE has reminded the NGCP to adhere to its responsibilities as system operator in ensuring supply security and reliability of the grid. It added that NGCP could have exercised, in a better manner, its responsibility in balancing the power grid.

Class suspension

The prolonged power outages in Panay Island have forced the suspension of classes in at least 733 public schools, which could go higher if private schools and higher education institutions would also be included.

The Department of Education (DepEd) – Region 6 said it had received reports of 733 public schools offering basic education that have suspended their classes on Jan. 3 and 4 due to massive power outages.

DepEd 6 regional information officer Hernani Escullar Jr. said a majority of these schools are in the city and province of Iloilo. He said local chief executives declared the suspension of classes in 26 localities.

There are 67 schools in Iloilo City, including the Iloilo National High School, that suspended classes, while there are hundreds in the entire province.

He said the two days of class suspension could have an impact on the scheduled activities intended for the learners, and that make-up classes would still be subject for the approval of school’s division superintendents. What’s important, he added, is for schools to meet the minimum of 200 and the maximum of 220 school days.

Probe

Senators yesterday said they would investigate the power outage that marred the New Year in Panay island, disrupting business operations and leaving households in the dark on the second day of 2024.

“I am absolutely incensed and dismayed by the persistent power outages plaguing some provinces in Western Visayas, particularly in Iloilo. This situation is no longer tolerable, and the Department of Energy and the National Grid Corp. must urgently address this issue before irreparable damage is done to our communities,” Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said.

Among those who seek to file a resolution calling for an inquiry in aid of legislation are Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Ronald dela Rosa.

“I will file a resolution seeking an investigation on that issue. This is a big setback to the economy in Panay island and nearby provinces of Negros,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino in a virtual press briefing yesterday.

Gatchalian stressed the need to investigate the power outage that disrupted businesses in Iloilo City and the entire Panay Island, which are economic drivers in Visayas.

“I will immediately file a resolution to investigate this matter and to propose policy recommendations to prevent power disruptions in the future,” Gatchalian said.

Sen. Francis Escudero said he would support a Senate inquiry not just on NGCP, but also the power generation plants that shut down without notice as well the distribution companies.

For her part, Sen. Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate public services committee, slammed NGCP for failing to prevent a repeat of the blackout in Panay amid the summer heat in April 27-29 last year.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva added that according to DOE data, 50 percent of the power plants in the country are 20 years old, as he stressed the need for proper maintenance of power plants and the shift to renewable energy like wind and solar power.

At the House of Representatives, lawmakers are also pushing for an inquiry to pinpoint liability into the massive blackout.

“The power outages that set the entire Panay Island and portions of Negros Island into darkness since Jan. 2 warrant scrutiny by the House in the exercise of its congressional oversight function to safeguard public welfare,” Iloilo City Rep. Julienne Baronda said.

Without any advance notice, the NGCP issued an advisory that all power plants in Panay Island had to be shut down at around 2:27 p.m.

“Soon after, the Negros-Panay grid was totally out,” Baronda said.

For her part, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said that the NGCP should be held accountable for the island-wide blackout in Panay as well as some parts of Negros since Jan. 2.

“As it is though it is not just the power generators’ and NGCP’s fault, the distribution utility namely More Electric and Power Corp. of the Razon group of companies is also responsible for this,” Castro added.

Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin also joined the fray, describing as “unacceptable” the sudden power outages, assuring everyone that “those responsible for the blackout would face accountability.”

Garin said she is bent on filing a resolution that would pave the way for an investigation on the incident, as she stressed the need for urgent solutions to ensure a consistent and reliable electricity supply.

Meanwhile, the League of Cities of the Philippines is backing a thorough investigation on the power outage that affected Panay island on Tuesday, citing economic losses and concerns on peace, order and security.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, LCP president, said the ERC and NGCP should investigate and implement corrective measures immediately.

The league noted that the unplanned power outage impacted economic activities that resulted in revenue losses and also posed a safety risk to residents in the region.

It added that there should be enough investments in the country’s power grid to meet the growing demand for electricity in the country.

The NGCP had blamed the unscheduled maintenance shutdowns of the largest power plants in Panay as the cause of the massive outage. 

 

Blackout: Iloilo losing up to P500 million daily (msn.com)

 

 

Edited January 4 by Lee

[BrettGC]

At least they're calling it what it is:  A blackout.  

[Lee]

2 hours ago, Lee said:

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva added that according to DOE data, 50 percent of the power plants in the country are 20 years old, as he stressed the need for proper maintenance of power plants and the shift to renewable energy like wind and solar power.

Renewable energy isn't going to fix this self inflicted problem.

[scott h]

54 minutes ago, Lee said:

self inflicted problem.

 

[Lee1154]

The rates for electricity are the highest in Asia so....

Edited January 5 by Lee1154

[craftbeerlover]

1 hour ago, Lee1154 said:

The rates for electricity are the highest in Asia so....

most of these posts lead to the same thing - Corruption.      In every sector at every level

[hk blues]

I live in Iloilo and we had a similar situation last April.  Strangely, these 2 significant incidents aside, the power supply is usually reliable and brownouts are few and far between.  Seems beyond belief that on Tuesday all plants were down and zero electricity was being produced for the region.  

However, once normal service is resumed all will be forgotten and forgiven until next time.

[stevewool]

Black out , brown out , is that a power cut that could last a hour or more , if so what is the longest time you could be without electricity 

[Mike J]

8 hours ago, stevewool said:

Black out , brown out , is that a power cut that could last a hour or more , if so what is the longest time you could be without electricity 

Here in Moalboal unscheduled outages are fairly rare and can last from a few minutes to a couple of hours.  Here, scheduled outages occur as they are replacing the high capacity towers that service this end of the island.  During the work week they put up new poles/towers, and run the lines.  On a Saturday about once every two months the power will out from 7 am to 4-5 pm as the distribution lines are connected to the new mains.  These all day outages are published in advance so folks know when they will happen.  They also have a sound truck with speaker driving around playing a message that a brownout will occur.  The longest without power was several weeks after super typhoon Odette.  In our service area the entire grid capacity was basically wiped out, with almost 6000 poles destroyed.  They worked to restore power to city/town centers first, then gradually worked out from there.  So the farther you lived from the city, the longer it took to get power back..

Our plan is to put in a solar system.  We are doing this no so much because of brownouts, but rather the high cost of electricity.  I have estimated the return on investment of five years.  An excellent ROI in my opinion.  

[BrettGC]

9 hours ago, stevewool said:

Black out , brown out , is that a power cut that could last a hour or more , if so what is the longest time you could be without electricity 

Brownout vs Blackout: https://www.181electrical.com.au/post/brownout-vs-blackout-whats-the-difference-and-how-do-you-get-your-electricity-back

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What is a brown out? 
A brown out occurs when the electricity demands on the grid have reached capacity or are too high for it to handle. ‍

When this happens the electricity supplier may reduce the flow of electricity to certain areas to prevent a blackout. ‍

Electricity will still be flowing to your property but at lower than usual voltage levels. ‍

A brownout may cause some electrical items and appliances in your home to malfunction. ‍

A brownout is characterised by things like:

Dimming of incandescent light bulbs 
Flickering lights
Electrical appliances quickly switching on and back off again
Intermittent internet connections

Brownouts can last anywhere from minutes to hours. Generally after this time the electrical demand will have dropped and the normal flow of electricity can be restored. 

What is a blackout?

Unlike brown outs, electrical blackouts occur when there’s a complete main power supply failure. ‍

In the event of an electrical blackout (also commonly referred to as a power outage), the power in your property will go out completely for the duration of the electrical issue. 

Electrical blackouts can last anywhere from milliseconds to minutes to hours and in some cases even days. 

Most blackouts here in PI are mischaracterised as brownouts. 

@Mike JExactly exactly the same situation here as well.  The unplanned outages are becoming a little more frequent (along with internet outages) as the road widening slowly moves north up the highway towards us from the provincial capital - I'm pretty sure the crane drivers etc never look up!

We're investigating the same solutions as you.  

Edit:  No power for about 6 weeks here after Odette but I arrived in January 2022 and we were living in Dumaguete so no issue for me. 

Edited January 5 by BrettGC