DND, DOE to look into China’s alleged capacity to shut down PHL grid

The Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of Energy (DOE) will work together to assess if China has the power to shut down the country’s power transmission grid, DND chief Delfin Lorenzana said on Wednesday.

"We are putting up a team, the Defense and the Department of Energy, to really find out, to prove and disprove the allegations of others that China can shut down our grid anytime they want," Lorenzana said in a forum in Makati City.

"We are going to assess or inspect the NGCP (National Grid Corporation of the Philippines) in the coming days," Lorenzana added.

Lawmakers would investigate and evaluate the performance of the NGCP as they expressed concern over the allegations that China may control and remotely shut down the country’s transmission system.

China-owned State Grid Corporation has a 40% ownership of the country’s power transmission grid.

The NGCP, however, clarified that the Chinese firm was only a “technical adviser” and that 60% of  the power transmission grid is still being controlled by Filipinos.

The National Transmission Corp. maintained that China is capable of remotely shutting down the Philippines' power transmission grid, adding that only an audit of its control centers could resolve the issue. —NB, GMA News