Gatchalian urges DOE to address power shortage instead of passing blame to stakeholders

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday called on the Department of Energy (DOE) to address the possible thinning of power supply in the country ahead of the dry season, which coincides with the 2022 national and local elections.

In a statement, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy explained that the DOE has the legal mandate and power to compel industry players to follow policies on energy security.

“The DOE sounds inutile by passing the blame. It's their job to assure the public on the sufficiency of power supply. Ang DOE ang ahensya na may kapangyarihan para i-supervise at siguraduhin na lahat ng mga private companies ay sumusunod sa polisiya, patakaran, at regulasyon para siguraduhin na may tuloy-tuloy na suplay ng kuryente,” Gatchalian said.

(The DOE is the agency who has the power to supervise and ensure that all private companies are following the policies, guidelines, and regulations to ensure continuous supply of energy.)

The lawmaker cited Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi’s recent statement asking the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) about its plans on the possible thinning of power supply in Luzon in the next few months.

(https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/818915/cusi-questions-ngcp-s-warning-of-thin-power-supply-during-dry-season/story/)

“Lalo akong kinakabahan bilang isang kandidato sa darating na halalan dahil alam natin na automated ang election. Pag walang kuryente, walang makinang makakabilang ng ating mga boto,” Gatchalian, who is seeking reelection, said.

(As a candidate, I am more worried about the upcoming elections because we all know that it is an automated polls. If there is no power supply, the machines won't run to count our votes.)

“May kapangyarihan ang DOE na siguraduhin na sumusunod ang NGCP at mga pribadong power plants. Ang hindi sumunod ay maaaring patawan ng parusa ng Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC),” he added.

(The DOE has the power to ensure that NGCP and other private power plants are following the regulations. Those who violate these could be slapped with fines by the ERC.)

Gatchalian said the Senate Committee on Energy is prepared to conduct an inquiry next month on DOE and other stakeholders’ plans and preparations to ensure that there will be no power interruptions during the elections.

Last Tuesday, the NGCP warned of a thin power supply conditions in the Luzon grid due to a projected higher demand.

But on Friday, the DOE assured the public that there will be no blackouts during the dry season and the May 9, 2022 polls.

In June 2021, Cusi proposed a government takeover of the country’s grid system operations from the NGCP after Luzon experienced rotating brownouts following the three straight days of Red and Yellow alerts.

The DOE has blamed the “forced or unplanned outages of power plants, and the lack of ancillary services owned or operated by the private sector” for the brownouts.

It also said that NGCP failed to comply with the required “firm” ancillary service contracts or reserves, which should be 4% of the power demand and could be tapped in case power plants go offline.

However, NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza earlier told GMA News Online that the grid operator fully contracted its ancillary services requirement “needed to balance and stabilize grid operations, as required under the Philippine Grid Code.” —KBK, GMA News