NGCP says there might be power supply shortage in the country

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) on Tuesday said there might be a shortage of power supply in the country due to the frequent power interruptions.

NGCP spokesperson Atty. Cynthia Alabanza said this after a Red Alert status was placed on the Luzon Grid on Monday afternoon due to a number of stalling power plants.

The Red Alert status indicates that there is zero ancillary service or that a generation deficiency exists, with the NGCP reporting available capacity of 10,693 megawatts versus the peak demand of 9,933 megawatts.

Alabanza said there is an indication of a thinning power supply if there are power outages every time several power plants experience issues.

Such shutdowns are an ordinary part of maintenance and operations and would not have usually caused outages if there were enough power supply, she added.

“Kung nakikita natin na dumadalas na o taunan na nagiging problema ‘yung ganitong sitwasyon, tingin ko indikasyon na ‘yan na mas malawak na problema na kailangan bigyan ng pansin,” she said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(If we see that this situation becomes more frequent or becomes a problem every year, I think that is an indication that there is a bigger problem that needs to be addressed.)

“Matagal na namin sinasabi sa NGCP itong aming kuwento for two years at least na bagama't on paper, sapat ang suplay kuryente, makikita natin is sabay-sabay nagkakaroon ng maintenance shutdown which is indicative o nagpapakita na baka talagang kulang na talaga ang supply,” she continued.

(We have been telling this for at least two years now that even if power supply is sufficient on paper, we can see that there are simultaneous maintenance shutdowns which is indicative or shows that the supply may be insufficient.)

In August, Senator Raffy Tulfo, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the “persistent and recurring” power outages and rotational blackouts, which have been plaguing several parts of the country in the past two years. —KG, GMA News