SENATE ENERGY CHIEF DOUBTS POWER-SUPPLY ASSURANCE BY CUSI
DEPARTMENT of Energy (DOE) officials assured last week that there will be enough electricity supply during the election period in May next year.
“We are telling you that there is power come election time. We can refer to the PEP [Philippine Energy Plan] and included in that is the demand and supply outlook, where we are not only looking at election time. What we stated there is there is enough power. Now, if you will insist that there is none, then I can’t do anything. But we are telling you, there is sufficient power,” said DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi during a virtual press conference last week.
DOE Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella had also said that based on the agency’s outlook, there is “sufficiency of supply, with no yellow alerts, and no power interruptions” during the May 2022 polls.
“Our goal is to maintain this situation, or improve it, and this could be done through our continued coordination and joint monitoring activities,” added Fuentebella.
Despite pronouncements that there will be no brownouts during the week of the May 2022 elections, a lawmaker wants the Senate to conduct an inquiry on the plans and preparations of the DOE and other stakeholders.
“It is crucial that programs are already in place, taking into account all eventualities to guarantee continuous supply of electricity during the 2022 automated elections. We must ensure the credibility and transparency in the conduct of elections as well as the delivery of fast and accurate results reflective of the genuine will of the people,” said Senate Energy Committee Chairman Sherwin Gatchalian.
Gatchalian pointed out that DOE’S forecast does not take into consideration the forced and unplanned outages of power plants during summer, when electricity demand is at its peak and the declining supply from the Malampaya gas field.
“Power interruptions last summer happened despite earlier statements from the DOE that it was optimistic that the country will not encounter major challenges or any alerts that may result in insufficiency of supply,” Gatchalian reminded the energy officials
The senator was referring to the unscheduled Luzon brownouts on May 31 until June 3, which hampered efforts of just-recovering businesses to restart operations after crippling pandemic lockdowns.
Nonetheless, Cusi reiterated his assurance of sufficient power supply in the country as he traveled to Mindoro to personally resolve the rotating brownouts plaguing the island province. “Mindoro can expect an improved power service by September 30,” the energy chief said.
Cusi said his recent visit to Mindoro was part of the DOE’S efforts to make sure the department can achieve its goal to provide 100 percent electrification by 2022. “We are ensuring that household electrification is expedited. That’s why we are visiting provinces in off-grid areas. We are making sure the commitment of this administration is met when our term ends in June [2022],” he stressed.
The DOE also assured the public of adequate power supply despite the scheduled preventive maintenance of the Malampaya gas field from October 2 to 22 this year.
“As far as the months of September, October—even up to February [next year]—we have sufficient power, we have more than enough reserves,” said Fuentebella.