MANILA, Philippines?Before the end of the week, Malacañang will unveil a plan to ease the worsening power shortage in Mindanao, which is now facing a power deficiency of 750 megawatts, from the 400 MW last week.

A select group of Cabinet secretaries is now deliberating on five options that were presented by Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, according to Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza.

?In two or three days, there?s gonna be a decision on how to address the problem,? Mendoza said.

According to Press Secretary Crispulo Icban, however, those options are now down to four as the one proposing that the President declare a power crisis in Mindanao and call Congress to a special session has been dropped.

?What we need is a short-term solution that will not be too expensive and that is feasible because there may be proposals that would require reimportation of equipment and this is no time for that,? Icban said.

Partnership

Mendoza said the options being looked at involved a ?government-private sector partnership? in resolving the problem.

According to Jesus Dureza, the new chair of the Mindanao Development Authority, this option initiated by the Mindanao Business Council and the Mindanao Electric Power Alliance, a coalition of power providers and cooperatives that is proposing to set up immediately a power-generating project.

?The other immediate action plans include the transfer of available power barges to Mindanao, the running of embedded generators (that is, standby generators owned by malls, hotels and other commercial establishments), rescheduling of work/production activities of big power consumers to low demand hours, among others,? Dureza said.

On the last proposed measure, Icban said it would entail encouraging companies ?to do their work at night from 10 p.m. to 4 or 5 a.m. when there is not much demand and there is an oversupply of electric power.?

Mendoza said it is possible that ?a combination of the different options? would be adopted by the Cabinet group composed of the heads of the energy, finance, justice and defense departments.

Meanwhile, power supply reserves continue to dwindle as the Visayas and Mindanao grids recorded supply deficits of 43 megawatts and 700 MW, respectively, as of Tuesday.

In a power update report Tuesday, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, the power transmission operator, said the Mindanao Grid continued to experience generation deficiency because of the limited available capacity of the state-run National Power Corp.?s hydropower plants, most of whose water reservoirs are drying up because of El Niño.

In the Visayas, the NGCP said the Cebu Energy Development Corp.?s coal unit had to undergo an emergency shutdown. This cut some 74 MW from the Visayas Grid?s available capacity.

Meanwhile, the second unit of the Palinpinon geothermal facility in Negros Oriental, operated by Green Core Geothermal, went on an emergency shutdown, causing the Visayas Grid to lose another 20 MW Tuesday.

Luzon grid

The Luzon Grid recorded power supply reserves of 369 MW, enough to ensure an uninterrupted power service Tuesday.

The NGCP said First Gas Power Corp.?s Sta. Rita Module 10 was already generating 164 MW as of Tuesday and is expected to increase its generating power to 265 MW by late afternoon.

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said the government is doing everything it can to ensure adequate power supply during the crucial election period.

?We will do everything to prevent power-related concerns to get in the way of an honest, peaceful, orderly election,? Reyes told reporters.

According to Reyes, the government?s main concern is to ensure sufficient power supply in the barangays and precincts until the transmission of the votes have been conducted. Christine Avendaño and Amy R. Remo