Energy supremo swings to action
Infrastructure project needs to observe strict COVID-19 response to mitigate the impact of the health crisis by updating the standard operating procedures and emergency response mechanisms of the sector
During the community quarantine and even months before after Taal Volcano threw tantrums, The Department of Energy (DoE) is among the busiest agencies since the responsibility of keeping households with a steady stream of electricity that is essential in providing comfort to Filipino families locked down in their homes falls in its hands.
The local power industry should adapt, improve and be proactive in ensuring the resiliency of the energy sector in the face of the virus onslaught.
DoE Secretary Alfonso Cusi said, for instance, infrastructure project needs to observe strict coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response to mitigate the impact of the health crisis by updating the standard operating procedures and emergency response mechanisms of the sector.
Cusi last week signed the Administrative Order (AO2020-05-0001) providing the COVID-19 Response Protocol to address and manage the health crisis in the energy sector.
Keep within protocol
“It is imperative for the energy industry to observe a strict COVID-19 response protocol. Protecting the occupational health and safety of our employees is central to the unimpeded delivery of energy goods and services,” Cusi said.
“As backliners during this pandemic, we must remain healthy to keep providing vital energy to all our front liners,” he added, noting that the response protocol is being continuously overhauled, tweaked or upgraded to be more responsive in addressing current challenges.
Cusi said the DoE has been strictly following the measures set forth by the Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act as implemented by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID), of which the DoE chief is a member.
The Task Force on Energy Resiliency (TFER) will be implementing the policy, which covers the DoE, its attached agencies, and all energy industry players.
TFER also seeks to ensure compliance to the issuance through the preparation of relevant checklists, daily monitoring toolkits, and the establishment of a feedback mechanism.
For the DoE and its attached agencies, the COVID-19 Response Protocol was incorporated in Public Service Continuity Plans, while energy industry players were required to incorporate the same into their Business Continuity Plans, or their equivalent.
Key to distant learning
DoE also lately directed distribution utilities and electric cooperatives to keep power supply stable and sufficient as Filipino students prepare for a blended learning approach when schools reopen tentatively in August.
Cusi directed all cooperatives, through National Electrification Administration Administrator Edgardo Masongsong, to ensure a stable supply of power in their respective franchise areas.
Protecting the occupational health and safety of our employees is central to the unimpeded delivery of energy goods and services.
“This directive is not only meant to help the students as they attend online classes but sufficient and stable supply of electricity at this time is what businesses need as we revive the local economy,” Cusi said.
The order came after power interruptions were reported in several rural areas in General Santos and North Cotabato which were then holding summer classes.
With more students enrolling for the coming school year, Cusi said households’ power demand will expectedly spike up.
The DoE and all its stakeholders are, thus, charged to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to aid the smooth implementation of
DepEd’s distance learning program.
According to a Department of Education memorandum, remedial, enrichment, and advanced classes for summer 2020 started on 11 May. It included Saturday classes and will end after six weeks.
Power use on upswing
In the memorandum, schools conducting summer classes were told to utilize distance learning measures until students and teachers are allowed to “leave their homes for school purposes,” to comply with community quarantine guidelines.
Given the downswing in electricity demand in the past months due to strict coronavirus lockdowns and now a slow increase due to less restrictive quarantine protocols, the DoE said a revised power supply-demand forecasts for the rest of the year will be issued anew.
The DoE recently said that in May, electricity supply in the largest power grid of Luzon has already been peaking at 9,000 megawatts, driven mainly by higher temperatures due to the summer season.
That demand level is forecasted to climb higher to 12,000 megawatts as the government slowly reopens the economy.
The DoE, moreover, said the government will proceed with the exploration and development of resources in the disputed West Philippine Sea (WPS) without compromising sovereignty.
Cusi said the DoE closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs so that exploration activities in the exclusive economic zone of the WPS “could finally proceed to attain energy security.”
Cusi had said the collapse in oil prices affected exploration activity across the country as potential partners reassess their projects.
According to him, the government could return to formal discussions with Chinese partners for joint exploration in the WPS once the coronavirus lockdown is lifted.