Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday asked the Department of Energy (DOE) to implement stop-gap measures to avert the forescasted “yellow alert” in the Luzon grid due to rising temperature amid the El Niño drought.
“The DOE should immediately form an El Niño task force to convene all power plants and distribution utilities to plan for contingency measures, including the implementation of the Interruptible Load Program [ILP],” Gatchalian said.
Under the program, participating consumers will be compensated if they use their own generating facilities in case of a power supply shortage.
The DOE earlier warned that the Luzon grid might experience yellow alerts in April and May, based on its latest simulations, with hydroelectric power plants running below capacity during the dry months.
A yellow alert indicates that the supply available to the grid has fallen below a designated safety margin.
Gatchalian said the DOE should ensure that power-generating plants and transmission facilities adhere to the Grid Operating and Maintenance Program (GOMP).
The program contains all the maintenance schedules of power plants, substations and transmission lines.
He said the DOE should encourage consumers to be mindful of their energy use during the summer months and utilize energy-efficient products.
“The DOE needs to ensure that energy consumers in the Luzon grid are not placed in a precarious situation of experiencing power interruption especially since the summer season is now in full effect,” said Gatchalian, who serves as vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Energy.
“It’s critical that the government is able to provide sufficient energy supply at all times, especially during summer months. The impact of a supply shortage on the economy could be devastating and we must all work together to ensure that every consumer’s electricity requirement is sufficiently met,” he said.
