“CRISIS” IN ELECTRIC SUPPLY IN THE PHILLIPPINES

Shortage in power supply nationwide (Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN News)

The Department of Energy considers the electricity supply situation in the Philippines to be a "crisis". This follows a series of red and yellow alerts due to the failure of the tons of plant amid the intense heat.

Energy Secretary Rafael Lotilla said that the electricity supply situation in the Philippines can be compared to a calamity, it is a challenge and response is needed.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is explaining the six companies in connection with the failure of their plants that caused yellow and red alerts in Luzon and Visayas.

The ERC previously announced that the increase in the electricity bill due to the use of more expensive plants will be passed on to the consumer due to the series of red and yellow alerts.

Due to the extreme heat, the DOE indicated that the nation should continue to expect red and yellow alerts in the upcoming weeks until the dry season's predicted peak in mid-May.

Earlier, Meralco warned that the worst was still to come because rising temperatures are predicted to increase demand for electricity.

With yesterday's demand reaching its highest level for 2024 at 14,016 MW compared to the estimated peak demand of only 13,917 MW this year, the predicted peak demand for Luzon has already been exceeded. 

The ERC said a show cause order may be given on 6 power generation companies if these power firms is "in view of possible violations of outage allowances” in relation with the recent outages of their power plants.

Luzon and Visayas grid is once again place under yellow alert because of the thinning of reserved power plants on Friday. 

Source: ABS-CBN News

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