Meralco: No major brownout on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday

Devotees can expect a fairly brownout-free Maundy Thursday and Good Friday after the Meralco said low power demand would prevent any major outage. AFP FILE

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Electric Company (Meralco) customers will not experience any major power interruption during the height of the Holy Week, its spokesperson said Monday.

Spokesperson Joe Zaldarriaga said electricity would be sufficient especially on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday due to a drop in demand as people go out of town on vacation.

“For the Holy Week, meron lang tayong ilang mga maintenance schedule and posibleng interruptions. ‘Yan ay regular scheduling,” Zaldarriaga said in an interview over dzMM.

“Overall, wala tayong nakikitang problema,” he added.

However, he said, Meralco was expecting tentative rotating brownouts for Monday, after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the entire Luzon grid on red alert from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“Ang binabantayan natin ‘yung 1 to 4 na red alert status. Pagka red alert, nagse-schedule kami ng tentative rotating interruption. Pero titingnan natin kung ano ‘yung magiging aktwal na sitwasyon kasi minsan nagkakaroon ng pagbabago,” Zaldarriaga explained.

READ: Brownouts feared Monday afternoon as Luzon grid goes on red alert

According to him, there were instances where a red alert was declared due to thinning power reserves, just like last Thursday, but power interruptions did not push through because of a lower actual demand and with power plants operating normally.

Meralco said its commercial and corporate customers participating in the government’s Interruptible Load Program (ILP) would use their own generator sets during red alert periods. They also called on their customers to use power efficiently.

The ILP aims to minimize brownouts, the power company said.

“Para sa mga nasa bahay, let’s help prevent brownouts by being energy efficient. Here’s how:  1. Iwasan ang pagbukas-sara ng refrigerator kung hindi kinakailangan; 2. Palaging linisin ang mga electric fan blades at aircon vents; 3. I-unplug ang mga appliances on standby na hindi ginagamit,” it said in a tweet. /cbb