DOE sees adequate power supply during elections period
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) said Friday that there will be sufficient power supply during elections period, adding that it does not foresee any shortage in reserves in the first three weeks of May.
The national and local elections will be held on May 9, which falls on the 19th week of the year.
Citing the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines' (NGCP) updated power outlook for the Luzon grid, DOE Director of the Electric Power Industry Management Bureau Mario Marasigan said it is likely yellow alerts- which signify thinning reserves- will not be placed on the power grid from weeks 18 to 20.
However, he noted the possibility of six yellow alerts which will take place in the second quarter, during weeks 16, 17, 21, 22, 23 and 24. This will only take place if the "worst case scenario" occurs.
"It so happens that the election period, that means one week before and one week after plus the day itself on the election, happens to be spared by the yellow alerts," Marasigan told reporters in a virtual briefing on Friday.
The projections, which were based on the historical records of the power grid for the last four years, took into consideration the extended outage of the 300-megawatt second unit of the Calaca coal plant.
Yellow alerts do not trigger power outages, the Energy department earlier clarified. These alerts are downgraded to red alerts if the supply-demand balance worsens. It is only during red alerts when there are rotating power interruptions.
During the briefing, DOE Senior Undersecretary and Chairperson of the Energy Task Force Election Felix William "Wimpy" Fuentebella said he is "very confident" that the country will not experience brownouts during elections, but said the agency and the task force members are working together so that they can immediately respond to any power-related issues which may arise.
Earlier, the grid operator said the Luzon power grid can experience thin operating margins during the summer months this year, citing increased demand.
On Friday, Marasigan said they are hoping that the 668-megawatt GN Power Dinginin (GNPD) coal-fired power plant's second unit will provide additional power to the grid, despite the power plant's delay in commercial operations.
According to him, the GNPD unit will be able to provide power to the grid even if it is undergoing testing and commissioning- which he says will begin this month.
He added that the DOE has already talked to big power plants which have agreed to move back their PMS (preventive maintenance schedules) during the summer months, ensuring more power for the grid. During the dry season, only hydropower facilities are allowed to schedule preventive maintenance services, and in turn, go offline.
The Energy department earlier said it does not see any problems in the power situation during elections, based on the submissions of its stakeholders.
Stable power is required to transmit polling data.
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