The forum tackled NGCP’s power transmission development plan in the country particularly here in Mindanao.
NGCP spokesperson and head for corporate communications department, Atty. Cynthia Albanza, explained to the participants that the power industry in the country has been handled by three distinct groups starting from generation to transmission and to distribution.
The NGCP, she said, is only in charge of the transmission of electricity from power plants to distributors like the electric cooperatives.
As regards the power supply shortage besetting Mindanao nowadays, Alabanza admitted that there is a rising generation deficiency due to the declining capacities of the island’s hydropower plants as a result of the dry spell.
She also said that the demand for electricity in the island keeps increasing because of the new investors coming in.
It can be recalled that the first vice president for Mindanao Affairs of the Aboitiz Power, Bobby Orig, told the press earlier that power deficiency in Mindanao could reach 484 megawatts (MW) this year. This power shortage will greatly affect the business activities particularly in the major cities of Davao, General Santos, Zamboanga City, Cagayan de Oro and Butuan.
On the other hand, the Department of Energy (DOE) said new power plants with combined capacity of at least 100 MW are needed to address the power problem in the island.