News Update Magat dam’s power generation shuts down

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – The Magat Hydroelectric plant has temporarily shut down its operations Wednesday due to water levels that have become unsuitable for power generation. Lawyer Mike Ossilos, spokesman of SN-Aboitiz Power (Snap-Magat), told GMANews.TV that they have decided to stop the dam’s power-generating operations after its water level dropped to 153.35 meters. The shutdown came a day after Saturnino Tenedor of the dam’s irrigation sector reported that they will have to close its gates for irrigation if the elevation drops further to 150 meters. “The elevation now is lower than the record we had in 1992 which was 156.22 meters," Ossilos said, adding that they will immediately resume operations “as soon as water levels become suitable again for power generation." “We will use this period of temporary shutdown to implement annual preventive maintenance activities of the plant," he continued. The dam’s normal level is at 183 meters, while its minimum operating level is at 160 meters. Meanwhile, officials of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said brownouts in Cagayan Valley can still be prevented as long as power-generating facilities are in tiptop shape. NGCP Santiago City Sub-Station Manager Alexander Alvarez said that power-generating plants like the Magat hydroelectric plant in Ramon, Isabela province, should make sure that their equipments are in peak condition in order to avert power outages.

Alvarez made the statement in the wake of fears that rotating brownouts will affect the entire region soon due to the fast-receding water levels of the 30-year-old dam. He said NGCP can only advise power-generating companies to be vigilant in the care and maintenance of their respective facilities. The state-run power distribution firm does not generate electricity but only parcels it out to electric cooperatives and other power sellers.
According to Alvarez, if power plants are remiss in their duties and their equipment breaks down, then NGCP “cannot do anything about it." Earlier reports reveal a number of power plants breaking down across the country while some hydroelectric power plants are running on limited capacities due to the decreasing water levels at reservoirs, showing instability in the whole Philippine grid. Power plants that recently experienced either breakdowns or have undergone repairs were Masinloc 1 in Zambales, Sta. Rita module 30 and Calaca 2, both in Batangas and Sual in Pangasinan. Before Magat’s temporary shutdown, it was reported to be generating only 30 megawatts (MW) of power, a big slide down from the normal 90 MW.—Floro Taguinod/JV, GMANews.TV