MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DoE) said Friday that it does not yet see any issues which will affect the dry season, after the transmission service provider said the Luzon power grid may experience thin operating margins during the period.
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) earlier forecasted thin operating margins- or power in excess of demand- in the Luzon grid from April to June, which includes the critical election period.
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"Based on our estimates from submissions of stakeholders, so far, we do not see any specific concerns which can affect the supply of power this summer, and preparations for elections," Mario Marasigan, the DoE Director Electric Power Industry Management Bureau, said in Tagalog during an interview with SuperRadyo DzBB.
According to him, operating margins refer to reserves which kick in when a power plant supplying energy to the grid runs into a problem.
He added that there is an existing Energy Task Force on Elections, headed by the DoE, which looks into scenarios which may happen during the elections.
"We look at the scenarios which may happen during elections. That's why we don't see that there be any issues in the elections if we just focus on the supply of power," Marasigan said.
In its earlier statement, the NGCP raised that some power plants extended their maintenance shutdowns while others decreased their committed output this month.
Marasigan said that DoE has a policy which prevents plants and transmission facilities from going on maintenance shutdowns during the summer months in a bid to ensure the country's energy security. This does not apply to hydro power plants, however, since they are powered by water which is historically scarce in the summer.