Guard against unscheduled power outages, DoE pressed

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council recently reported that the damage to the agriculture sector caused by has already reached over P1 billion

A senator said Sunday that the Department of Energy must develop a contingency plan to ensure an ample supply of electricity amid the intensifying effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said last week that the country is expected to experience the peak of the El Niño dry spell in the summer months.

Senator Win Gatchalian prodded the DoE to ensure that the necessary repairs and preventive maintenance of energy-related facilities are undertaken before the peak of the summer months to prevent unforeseen outages.

As early as 2022, the senator noted that about 9 percent of the country’s power capacity was generated by hydroelectric power plants.

“El Niño is going to be a big concern for our country not just in terms of food security but also energy security,” Gatchalian said.

“A big chunk of our ‘hydro’ areas will be experiencing drought, and their output will be curtailed, which will impact some parts of the country, so we need to have a contingency plan for that, especially during the hot months,” he stressed.

“All the preventive maintenance should be done now so that when the summer months come, the plants will be running at full capacity, and the DoE needs to monitor this very carefully,” he said.

He emphasized that power plants are particularly vulnerable to breakdowns during summer when high demand occurs. He added that the DoE needs to ensure that there are no unscheduled outages.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council recently reported that the damage to the agriculture sector caused by Niño has already reached over P1 billion.