The timely intervention of the Alsons Power Group’s Western Mindanao Power Corporation (WMPC) diesel plant in barangay Sangali Zamboanga City spared the City from the worst effects of the massive power outages brought about by the bomb explosion that toppled the tower of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) at Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte in the afternoon of Monday October 24. The bombing tripped the 138 Kilo-volt transmission line resulting in widespread power outages throughout the Zamboanga Peninsula, Misamis Occidental, and parts of Lanao del Norte.
The increased dispatch to Zamboanga City from the WMPC plant to around 50 mega-watts (MW) effectively shielded the City from the blackouts experienced by other cities in the region and nearby areas.
Engr. Pete Torrejon – WMPC plant manager said, “We at WMPC are always ready to ensure the continuous flow of power to Zamboanga City. In last Monday’s emergency and in other similar transmission incidents, we have consistently been able to respond and provide the people of Zamboanga City with the power they need.”
The 100 MW WMPC diesel plant began operating in 1997 and remains to be the only major power facility located in Zamboanga City and the entire Zamboanga Peninsula.
The Alsons Power group is Mindanao’s first private sector power generator. The group currently has a portfolio of four power facilities with a total generating capacity of 468 mega-watts (MW) serving over eight million people in 14 cities and 11 provinces in the country’s second largest island.
