Cotabato Light starts rotational brownout

COTABATO CITY – The Cotabato Light and Power Company
(Cotabato Light) has started implementing rotational brownout in its franchise
area, the power firm announced today.

Arlene Hipega, Cotabato Light corporate communications
officer, told DXMS Radyo Bida that the five hour scheduled brownout was
rationed in all feeders in its franchised area.

Hipega said as of Wednesday afternoon, the power
demand of Cotabato Light was 23.5 megawatt (MW) but the power that Power Sector
Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM Corp.) supplies was only
14.5 MW.

Cotabato Light franchise area covers Cotabato City
and the towns of Sultan Kudarat and Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao.

Hipega said the shortage of power was due to the
shutting down of STEAG power plant 1 in Misamis Oriental for preventive maintenance
from July 18 to August 16 and the continued slow down of production of
hydropower plants in Agus and Pulangi rivers due to low water level.

She said the supply from Therma Marine was also unstable as it goes on and off in the Mindanao grid.In the meantime, Hipega said Cotabato Light is
running its diesel-fed generators that could mean a slight increase in the
monthly power bills of power concessionaires.

The generators are producing 4.6 megawatt for Cotabato
Light power consumers to augment the limited power supply from NGCP, she
said.

There will be an
increase of about 11 centavos per kilowatt hour,” she added.