Senate to coordinate with NEA, Malacañang on Occidental Mindoro energy crisis

Sen. Raffy Tulfo, chairperson of the Committee on Energy, during one of his committee’s hearings in this photo taken on March 20, 2023. Senate RPIB file photo / Joseph Vidal

MANILA, Philippines — Occidental Mindoro’s energy situation is currently being addressed by the national government, said Senator Rafael “Raffy” Tulfo on Sunday, adding that the Senate  is currently coordinating with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and Malacañang.

This came after the Senate committee on energy, headed by Tulfo, conducted an emergency consultative meeting with various government agencies on April 5 to discuss the energy problem in Occidental Mindoro.

In the same meeting, the Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative, Inc (Omeco) committed to making a board resolution that would allow the NEA to loan them P50 million to buy bunker fuel as a temporary immediate solution to the power outage, meanwhile, the National Electrification Administrator Antonio Alameda asking be given up to three weeks to provide a concrete solution to the said crisis.

In a statement on Sunday, Tulfo said that the NEA has already requested a Certificate of Exemption (COE) from the Department of Energy (DOE) to allow Omeco to enter into the Emergency Power Supply Agreement (EPSA) — allowing Omeco to secure modular gensets from Singapore that can generate up to 17 megawatts (MW).

The NEA had also already asked for transfer of four modular gensets with 2MW each from Mindanao which can produce up to 8MW.

Further, Tulfo said that the NEA had asked DMCI Power Corporation to provide approximately 5MW of electricity from Oriental Mindoro to Occidental Mindoro, which will immediately provide an extra four hours of electricity per day in Occidental Mindoro.

Alameda also informed Tulfo that the NEA and the DOE have requested the Department of Finance to remove the restriction on the next loan secured by the National Power Corporation (NPC) so that it can be used in the entire missionary electrification areas.

The NEA had also asked the NPC to renovate and operate an old NPC plant that can generate up to 10MW.

Tulfo then assured the public that he has already called Malacañang to personally meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to discuss how the Senate can help with said issue.

It can be recalled that Occidental Mindoro has been placed under a state of calamity due to 20-hour daily power outages.

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JPV