ERC assures power will be sufficient during election

THE ENERGY Regulatory Commission (ERC) said it expects no power interruptions during the campaign, election, and canvassing period, with contracts for reserve power currently awaiting approval.

“We have been holding consultations with electricity stakeholders, primarily with the DoE (Department of Energy) and NGCP (National Grid Corp. of the Philippines), to ensure that such (a) scenario will not happen,” ERC Commissioner Floresinda B. Digal said in a Viber message to BusinessWorld.

Ms. Digal has said that NGCP has entered into firm contracts for power reserves, which are pending approval by the ERC. “We are communicating with the generators to ensure that they run their plants in accordance with existing standards to ensure efficient supply.”

She noted that the ERC is monitoring NGCP’s compliance with the DoE Circulars on ancillary services, the regulator’s term for the reserves that may be tapped should baseload supply run low.

Legislators urged the ERC to ensure continuous power during the election period, after the NGCP forecast possible red alerts on the Luzon grid between April and June.

The election is on May 9. Red alerts are raised when demand is projected to exceed supply, triggering power rationing.

Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel urged the ERC to ensure adequate and reliable supply of electricity during and after the election to head off any doubts about the integrity of the poll result.

“We need to ensure that there will be continuous power supply in the country during the elections,” she said in a statement. “There should be strict coordination and teamwork between the DoE, the

ERC, and other sectors in the power industry to resolve this perennial problem.”