Zarate asks Duterte to fix power problem
Bayan Muna Party list Rep. Isagani Carlos Zarate speaks at a press briefing on April 12, 2019 at the House of Representatives. PHOTO by Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate asked President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday to fix the power supply problem in the Luzon grid.
The lawmaker said the President should review the power supply agreements after the Luzon grid was placed on red alert status for the third consecutive day.
“Ang main call ngayon ng Bayan Muna, panawagan kay Pangulong Duterte, habang busy-busy siya sa kampanya ng kanyang mga kandidato, baka pwedeng pagtuunan ng pansin itong nangyayaring problema sa enerhiya,” Zarate said in a press briefing inside the House of Representatives.
(The main call of Bayan Muna today is for President Duterte — though he is busy in the campaign — to pay attention to the energy problem.)
“Ipa-review na rin niya sa mga regulatory or responsible agencies itong mga power supply agreements ng ating mga distribution utilities at ng mga generation companies, dahil sa nangyari ngayon, parang dehado tayong mga consumers,” he added.
Article continues after this advertisement(He should ask for a review of the regulatory agency and others responsible for the power supply agreements between distribution and power generation companies because recent developments are not fair to consumers.)
Article continues after this advertisementEarlier, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) announced that the Luzon Grid is on red alert, as electricity demand is assumed to have exceeded the available generating capacity within 13 hours, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
This comes a day after NGCP said that the reserve generation capacity of the affected grid went down to just 154 megawatts.
Currently, power supply in some towns in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, and Batangas have been cut off by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) as part of its manual load dropping. This may last for three hours.
READ: BREAK: 13-hour red alert in Luzon grid
READ: Luzon grid placed on red alert for second straight day
Just recently, the Department of Energy assured that there is no need for a rotational brownout scheme.
READ: Brownouts hit Bulacan, Cavite despite DOE assurance
Zarate expressed doubts that the reports on power plant shutdowns were true, especially since most breakdowns happen during the summer months.
“Napansin lang namin, ito rin ‘yong mga power plants na nasa sabi nilang forced shutdown ngayon, bakit naman sabay-sabay silang nagsa-shut down tuwing summer? Ito ‘yong Calaca power plant, na pagmamay-ari ng DMCI, nandyan ‘yong Southwest Luzon Generation Corporation, itong Malaya Thermal power plant, itong Sual, Pagbilao power plant,” Zarate claimed.
(We noticed that the forced shutdowns happened simultaneously. There’s the Calaca power plant owned by DMCI. There’s also the Southwest Luzon Generation Corporation, the Malaya Thermal power plant, and the Sual and Pagbilao power plant.)
“These are the same plants since 2012, ‘pag summer o kung kailan manipis yung (reserve) supply ng kuryente, eh biglang unannounced shut down. Sabi ‘yong iba nag-leak daw ‘yong kanilang boiler, hindi naman ito phenomenon na nangyari na lang. These are situations na pwedeng pag-preparahan,” he added.
(These are the same plants since 2012. During the summer or the season when the reserve supply is low, the unannounced shutdowns happen. They said there were leaks in the boiler, but these were instances that just happen. These are situations that can be avoided through adequate preparation.)
On Thursday, Bayan Muna Chair Neri Colmenares and Senator Win Gatchalian expressed fears that the power problem may be used as a factor to push for higher electricity rates.
Both asked the government to check if there is possible collusion between power producers amid the Luzon grid’s red alert status. /ee
