POWER producer Steag State Power Inc. (SPI) has reaffirmed its commitment to make available its full capacity a month ahead of the May 2016 local and national elections. SPI president and chief executive officer Dr. Bodo Goerlich said SPI had already taken steps to ensure uninterrupted power generation during the summer season and most especially throughout the May 2016 elections. “We have already taken the necessary steps to ensure that our power plants are optimally available during the period,” Goerlich said. Goerlich said SPI had successfully carried out and completed all its preventive maintenance activities during the first quarter of the year in preparation for the anticipated tighter Mindanao power supply during the summer months. SPI’s reaffirmation of commitment came in the wake of the Department of Energy (DOE) circular creating the Power Task Force Election 2016 to ensure adequate and reliable power supply before, during and after the May 9 national and local elections. The task force is headed by Energy Secretary Zenaida Monzada and composed of the heads of key power industry agencies of government and the private sector, and the different power industry support organizations. The circular mandated all power suppliers and service providers particularly the distribution utilities (DUs), electric cooperatives and power generation companies to provide full support and participation to ensure an orderly and credible conduct of the elections. Meanwhile, SPI power plant manager Dr. Carsten Evers said SPI’s two electric generating units have been operating at full capacity. SPI has two identical electric generating units with a net generating output of 105 mw. Its combined net capacity of 210 mw presently accounts for about 15 percent of Mindanao’s peak electric power demand. “We are confident to sustain our full capacity operations until our next preventive maintenance activities scheduled towards the end of May 2016,” Evers said. SPI’s Unit 2 is scheduled to undergo a two-day maintenance check on May 21-22, weeks after the election period. Evers explained that like any other machines, electric generators need to be shutdown in order to carry out the necessary periodic maintenance activities and ensure the long-term efficiency and reliability of the units. SPI owns and operate a modern coal-fired power plant located at the Phividec Industrial Estate in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental. The company is principally owned by a leading German power producer Steag GmbH with Aboitiz Power and La Filipina Uy Gongco corporations as local shareholders. Pr