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MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy urges citizens to practice “energy efficiency” as the department works to prevent electricity interruptions throughout the blazing summer months.
“Ano naman yung diskarte natin para walang magkaroon ng power interruption? Tulad nung ginagawa natin dati at ginagawa natin araw-araw, yung tinatawag nating energy efficiency… What we are saying is do not be wasteful in the use of energy,” said DOE Undersecretary Wimpy Fuentebella in a Saturday news forum.
(What methods can we take to avoid power interruptions? As we have been doing and continue to do everyday, let us practice energy efficiency. What we are saying is do not be wasteful in the use of energy.)
Fuentebella encourages ordinary energy consumers to be efficient in the use of cooling systems such as air conditioning units and electric fans, especially amid sweltering heat in large parts of the country.
The Inter-Agency Energy Efficiency and Conservation Committee has also encouraged government agencies to adopt a 4-day work day and tighten reporting staff down to skeletal teams as these measures could save up to 50% of energy used by these offices.
Fuentebella also announced that the DOE would adopt an Interruptible Load Program (ILP) should the country’s energy reserves lower to critical levels.
An ILP is a “voluntary, demand-side management program that allows customers to operate their generating sets & collectively reduce electricity drawn from the grid when power interruptions are imminent to ration limited power supply,” according to the DOE’s website.
“Mayroong policy ‘yan na binabayaran rin siya ng mga tao through a decision or resolution by the Energy Regulatory Commission. So yun yung mga paraan para hindi mangyari ‘yung power interruption,” the undersecretary clarified.
(There is a policy under which the citizenry pays for this through a decision or resolution by the Energy Regulatory Commission. These are the ways we can prevent power interruptions.)
Power plants in the country have been prohibited from scheduling preventive maintenance shutdowns in the second quarter of the year pursuant to DOE policy, according to Fuentebella.
“Para mabantayan natin yung mga planta tsaka yung mga linya, mayroon tayo sa DOE na policy na bawal magpahinga ng planta sa second quarter. Ibig sabihin, no preventive maintenance to be scheduled during the second quarter, except if you are a hydro plant,” he added.
(So that we can maintain our plants and power lines, the DOE has a policy that power plants are prohibited to rest in the second quarter. This means no preventive maintenance can be schedules during the second quarter, except if you are a hydro plant.)