Prepare for Malampaya’s shutdown, DOE told

Rep. Carlos Zarate. NOY MORCOSO / INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

The Department of Energy (DOE) should now lay down concrete plans to prevent brownouts and rate hikes in the coming months with the scheduled maintenance shutdown of the Malampaya natural gas field in October.

In a statement, House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said on Monday that the Oct. 2 to Oct. 22 temporary shutdown of the gas field might be a deja vu of the 2013 Malampaya shutdown when generation companies jacked up power rates.

“Did the DOE and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) not learn anything from that situation almost a decade ago?” Zarate asked.

With the upcoming shutdown of the Malampaya gas field, the lawmaker said more than 3,200 megawatts of power capacity would not be available for consumers.

“Industry insiders say that the DOE has been informed by the Malampaya consortium as early as last year on the preventive maintenance schedule of the gas field, but it seems that we have not heard of any concrete plans laid down by the department yet on how it can avert brownouts and rate hikes due to the shutdown,” he said.

Maintenance

Zarate pointed out that the DOE had moved the maintenance activities of some power plants and warned that this might eventually overlap or could spill over to the timeframe of Malampaya’s shutdown.

On Sunday, Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., warned that the unstable Luzon power supply could drive up food prices and stall economic recovery.

Metro Manila, including several parts of Luzon, has been experiencing a series of power outages due to insufficient power supply. Several power plants had shut down operations for their scheduled maintenance. INQ