ERC urges gov't: Develop new energy sources to lower rates

Energy Regulatory Commission chairperson Agnes Devanadera  said Sunday that the government should focus on developing new sources of energy to help reduce household electricity rates in the country.

“Kailangan tayong mag-develop ng new sources of energy. Isang malaking programa ‘yan na dapat ay talagang tutukan ng pamahalaan... ‘Yan ang makakapagpamura sa ating kuryente,” said Devanadera on SuperRadyo dzBB interview.

(We need to develop new sources of energy. That is a big program that the government should really focus on because it will really reduce our electricity costs.)

As fuel prices continued to skyrocket, the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) announced Thursday an increase in household electricity rates for March by P0.0625 per kiloWatt-hour (kWh), bringing the overall rate to P9.6467/kWh from February’s P9.5842/kWh.

Devanadera also mentioned the country's adoption of nuclear power, noting that developments in technology have paved the way for a safer nuclear energy. But she stressed that safety measures must be ensured before it is used.

“Mura ang nuclear energy kaya lang 'yung safety measures ba ay kaya ng advanced technology na maproteksyunan ang ating mamamayan? Kasi nga hindi natin makalimutan ‘yung nangyari sa Chernobyl at mas recent naman ‘yung sa Fukushima, Japan,” she added.

[Nuclear energy is cheap.  But we should make sure present technological advances would be able to protect our people.]

Recently, President Rodrigo Duterte issued executive order (EO) 164 to tap nuclear power to be included in the country's energy resource mix, to achieve growth targets.

On the other hand, the Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing the creation of a separate agency that will regulate the nuclear power industry. —LBG, GMA News