DOE refutes senator’s allegation of widespread blackouts in 2015
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla on Monday countered Senator Sergio Osmeña III’s claim that there would be pervasive power outages next year.
“Ang outlook natin for 2015 ay better from 2014,” Petilla said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer 990AM.
He said Osmeña might have different information that prompted him to claim there would be widespread blackouts, but as far as he’s concerned, things are under control.
The Senator earlier told media that the brownouts that will occur next year should no longer be blamed on the administration of former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. This is because power plants often take a maximum of five years to be completed and 2015 is the fifth year of President Benigno Aquino III’s term.
Petilla, on the other hand, said they shouldn’t be talking about Aquino or Arroyo since the country’s energy is dependent on the private sector.
He pointed out that current laws have delegated the creation of power plants to the private sector.
“Pinaubaya natin sa private sector ang pagpapatayo ng planta. Ang trabaho ng DOE is simply to coordinate, not to create power plants, to call on the private sector kung meron silang problema,” he said.
(We’ve delegated the construction of plants to the private sector. The DOE’s job is to simply coordinate with them, not to create power plants, to call on the private sector if they have any problems.)
Nevertheless, he said additional 1,600 megawatts will go on line in 2015 and 2016.
He said the energy capacity that the country has is more than enough for “peace time” or off-peak months, adding that the situation is also still tolerable even during the summer or peak months.
Osmeña had told media that Malacañang knew “how to twist the facts” by claiming that there will be new power plants next year, which may or may not address any energy shortage.
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