Power crisis is bad news for Mindanao

Many of us (ordinary mortals) are simply confused about the power crisis. Do we have enough power supply in the coming months? Are we now facing a new disaster in power supply? Disaster would mean either putting on hold all development initiatives, at best, or roll back development because of the shortage of power supply. We, the people, are beginning to experience brownouts again. People ask whether this is a prelude to similar experiences before FVR (i.e. former President Fidel V. Ramos) deregulated energy generation and put energy supply at the heart of his ‘pole vaulting’ strategy. Much has been accomplished since then, and brownouts became a thing of the past. But recent developments and the seeming limitless demands for energy brought about by population increase, new industry, and multiplications of gadgets, technology and appliances exhaust the limits of power consumption. Unless new sources of energy (traditional and non-traditional) are immediately attended to, we are seeing again the return of the energy crisis. This is bad news both for the economy and delivery of basic services to the peoples of Mindanao and the ARMM, in particular. The impending crisis, particularly the prospect of more brownouts in the midst of burning hot summer, sends chills to people. No doubt, more brownouts during the summer holidays are so fearsome that people have begun contemplating the idea for Congress to grant the President emergency powers to accelerate not only the processing of papers for new players in electricity generation, but also to actively pursue other sources of energy.   The Philippines is still heavily dependent on two traditional sources of energy — hydropower plants and fossil fuel-fired power generators. But unless the current hydropower plants are rehabilitated and expanded, there would not be enough power to meet rising levels of energy demand and much less to push greater productivity and new industry. There are new players who would like to pursue other sources of energy – both for the traditional and non-traditional ones. In Mindanao, the much talked about coal-fired power generators to remedy the deficit in power supply needs an extra boost and political will to put an end to endless debates. The controversy is tied to the coal mining exploration in South Cotabato. The new players in power generation speak of developing many albeit small hydropower plants that will tap Mindanao's extensive river networks. Others speak of solar power or windmills and watermills. The more controversial proposal is the revival of the mothballed nuclear power in Bataan and/or building new ones in more suitable places that would respond adequately to the energy needs of the country in the next 20 years. While the country and the world would still be largely dependent on fossil fuel for energy generation for the next 40 to 50 years, the instability of politics and the ecological concerns dictate that people and policy makers look for and develop new sources of energy.   Notwithstanding the accidents in nuclear power plants brought about by natural disasters, as in the case of Japan, there is NO way NOT to re-open the debates on the nuclear plants. There seems to be NO viable alternative for a wholesale power generation other than going nuclear. The debates in the past had been largely emotional and acrimonious. When the nuclear plant project was mothballed, people thought that we had written ‘finis’ to the whole issue of nuclear energy. The possibility of a nuclear power plant has remained dormant for more than two decades, but the energy crisis and the seeming unquenchable need for more power would, inevitably, reopen the issue. The old warriors that opposed the Bataan Nuclear Plant are still around, albeit ‘aging’ fast. The emotions as well as the old rhetoric are still alive and continue to haunt us. Is it possible to go beyond the rhetoric so that when we discuss new sources of energy, we do NOT dismiss outright the peaceful and very potent use of nuclear energy as an alternative source of power that is stable, cleaner, and cheaper? It is a very controversial topic, but who is afraid of controversy? We just hope that when we re-open the issue, we can discuss and debate it with open minds and truly assess the value of nuclear power plants vis-a-vis the development and expansion of industry. It may not happen soon or in the next five years, but definitely we cannot continue to skirt the issue as demand for energy will multiply in the coming years.