Coloma: Conserve energy, the Ilocano way

The simplest solution to a diminishing power supply in Luzon is to conserve energy, the Ilocano way.

Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., head of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, said the rotating brownouts that Luzon suffered in the previous days were due to reduced base load capacity of power-generating plants.

“There is no shortage of supply. The availability of supply would meet the standards required. It meets the base load and peak load requirements and the buffer required by the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission),” he said.

Coloma was in Baguio City on Saturday and sat down with the information officers of the Philippine Information Agency’s Northern and Central Luzon cluster, including the Cordillera.

He said by 2015, however, the level of demand will increase beyond the present supply capacity which requires conservation measures and creation of new power-generating facilities.

Consumers should begin to be mindful of energy conservation, he said.

“We need to use energy wisely. We need to be thrifty [like Ilocanos] even in the use of energy,” said Coloma, who traces his roots to Pinili, Ilocos Norte.

Coloma said new generating plants must also be put in place to make the power base load more reliable.

“At present, the most reliable power source is coal, even though it is not environment-friendly. We are putting in place mitigating factors to reduce the hazards posed by coal,” he said.

On Friday, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) issued a “yellow alert” notice to its Luzon grid customers due to reduced generation. The NGCP, in its website, said a yellow alert occurs when available reserves are insufficient to meet the grid’s required contingency of 647 megawatts.

For example, the available capacity recorded was at 7,727 MW while actual peak demand at 10 a.m. was at 7,300 MW, it said.

Lilibeth Gaydowen, NGCP’s North Luzon corporate communications officer, said available reserves were insufficient to meet the required contingency because of the reduced capability of power plants.

She said a yellow alert status may result in rotating brownouts to close the gap between a high demand and low power reserves. She said, however, that no power interruption is expected in the Ilocos region in the coming days unless power plants implement emergency shutdowns.

“NGCP continues to be in close coordination with the Department of Energy and ensures that all the energy available to the grid is dispatched efficiently,” she said. Cristina Arzadon, Inquirer Northern Luzon