Mindanao Blackout to delay operation of Therma South power plant

Therma South Inc. (TSI) said on Wednesday the Mindanao-wide blackout on Easter Sunday caused damage to one of its coal-fired power plants, which is expected to delay commercial operations by 10 months.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, it said the outage damaged the auxiliary components of the boiler of Unit 2 and a detailed assessment of the extent of the repairs needed was underway.

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“Affected areas and components include the air-preheater as well as the electrostatic precipitator, which is part of the power plant’s pollution control system,” the company said.

TSI President and Chief Operating Officer Benjie Cariaso Jr said the damage on Unit 2 will not affect Unit 1, which is scheduled to start operation in June 2015.

He said the company was working with contractors and suppliers to speed up the repairs and cut down the delay in the commercial operation of Unit 2.

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“We will update all stakeholders of further developments. We remain committed to do everything we can to support Mindanao with its power needs,” Cariaso said.

Mindanao was plunged into darkness on April 5 after a power conductor at the Agus 7 switchyard was detached and hit a capacitive voltage transformer that caused a ground fault.

The blackout affected all the cities and provinces connected to the Mindanao grid.

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The affected cities included Davao, Cotabato, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Gen. Santos, Tacurong, Koronadal, Kidapawan, Digos, Valencia, Malaybalay, Pagadian and Zamboanga.