The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has appeased any doubt that the consortium Acciona Energia and Freya Renewables may have had on the possible curtailment of its power production in its soon-to-rise solar plant in northern Cebu.
During a meeting at the Capitol, NGCP executives Neil Modina and Arnaldo Claudio delivered a signed document stating NGCP’s “commitment to the successful integration of the 150-megawatt Daanbantayan Solar Power Plant into the Philippine power grid.”
Modina is the assistant vice president for systems operations at the NGCP Visayas; while Claudio is the construction projects regional manager of the NCP.
Acciona and Freya are the Capitol’s partners in the construction, operations, and maintenance of the 150-megawatt solar plant in Daanbantayan, the first LGU-led PPP in the country in the field of solar power generation.
Fermin Alvarez, general manager of Freya Renewables, told Gov. Gwen Garcia at the meeting on October 18 that the NGCP had indicated that the 150-megawatt production capacity of the Daanbantayan Solar Plant could be curtailed up to 75-megawatt, or 50% of its capacity, until 2031 when the NGCP would switch to the new substation in Brgy. Talisay in Daanbantayan.
The reason for this, Alvarez added, is the overloading of the line going from Daanbantayan to Compostela substation, due to the current flow of 420-megawatt of geothermal from Leyte.
If this is the case, their proposal would be to build a 75-megawatt plant for the project’s first phase, and then build the other 75-megawatt for its second phase in 2031, since the curtailment would leave the project “bankrupt from year one.”
During the meeting, however, the document executed by Modina and Claudio revealed that NGCP pledges to “prioritize the dispatch of power generated by the Daanbantayan Solar Power Plant whenever available during normal grid conditions,” reinforcing NGCP’s commitment to maximizing the utilization of clean energy and enhancing grid stability.
Additionally, NGCP will implement a System Integrated Protection Scheme (SIPS) to monitor and safeguard the solar plant from grid disturbances and to ensure uninterrupted operations.
Acciona-Freya is also required to submit a list of grid-compliant inverters which will undergo NGCP review and confirmation to ensure seamless integration into the power grid.
NGCP further committed to a harmonious working relationship with Acciona-Freya throughout the project’s process by maintaining open communication and close collaboration with the parties.
Also in attendance were CEBECO II general manager Lowell Belcina and assistant general manager Dominador Binghay. | BJR
