Energy dept urged to assure ample electricity supply during vaccination

ASENIOR vice chairman of the House Committee on Energy on Monday filed a resolution urging the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that the government’s Covid-19 vaccination program will not be disrupted by power interruptions.

In House Resolution 1527, Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas asked the House Committee on Energy to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, “to identify measures that can be taken by the DOE and other concerned government agencies to ensure a stable power supply during the rollout of the mass vaccination program against Covid-19.”

“Given the importance of successfully implementing the vaccination program, the government must ensure that the vaccination program will not be disrupted by power interruptions or any other incidents that could result in power loss,” he said.

The government is eyeing the establishment of cold chain hubs across the country for easier distribution of the vaccines.

Also, Vargas said, several local government have either purchased, or intend to purchase biomedical freezers to store the vaccines.

Besides Metro Manila, Bicol, Cebu, and Zamboanga have so far been identified as areas where the hubs would be set up to facilitate distribution in the regions.

The facilities are necessary to preserve the efficacy of the vaccines.

“Any power interruption occurring during this period will affect the viability and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines in cold storage facilities, thus putting them to waste,” he said.

The lawmaker stressed the need for uninterrupted power supply especially as a large batch of vaccines is expected to arrive from the United States during peak electricity consumption in May.

According to Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, at least 56 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from American pharmaceutical companies are expected to arrive in the Philippines by May.

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) had earlier noted a change in peak demand recently. They said that previously, only Luzon would register peak demand during the summer months. Visayas and Mindanao, however, have been seeing peak power demands shift from the usual end-ofyear to summer.

Also, Vargas said, he filed the resolution to underscore the urgency of addressing possible power supply problems that have become frequent over the years.“it is a situation that needs to be managed efficiently and with foresight,” he said.

“The mass vaccination is a national undertaking that is as important, if not more important, than other national projects. Lives are at stake. We cannot afford to have an unreliable power grid, or any other issues that could result in power loss,” Vargas said.