As of Saturday, Energy Development Corporation reported that all of its Leyte power plants are still shut down while assessment of the full extent of damage is ongoing.
Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi inspected the facilities along with EDC President Richard Tantoco, who has been at the site since Friday.
Based on the ongoing assessment, so far, EDC has provided the following updates and estimates:
The Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant Unit 1 may not be operational for some time due to cooling tower damage. Unit 2 (35MW) may be operational in the next 7 to 10 days as tests on the unit and the main transformer as well as cooling tower repair need to be performed.
Our Upper Mahiao plant is also expected to return to operation in five to seven days bringing 132MW back to the grid. For the Malitbog power plant, Units 1 and 2 are estimated to return to service within the next 7 to 10 days bringing about 150MW of power back online. Unit 3 however will remain on shutdown due to damage sustained by the cooling tower.
“Access to our Mahanagdong plant remains difficult and we have not yet been able to assess the extent of damage.
“We are still working to clear landslide debris. Barring any unforeseen issues, EDC could have about 317 MW of power restored to Leyte within the next 10 days.
“Meanwhile, repair of the marshalling station has commenced and we expect it to be operational in three to five days. Aside from transmitting power from our plants, these repairs will also allow the connection of the station to the 230 kV line to Luzon.
“Our team of contractors has been mobilized to work 24/7, safety considerations permitting, to complete the assessment and accelerate return to service,” EDC said.
