Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday demanded an explanation from the Department of Energy (DOE) on why it projects outages when it assured the Senate energy committee that there would be no brownouts during the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program.
“The committee was assured by the DOE that no brownouts will happen given that the country is in a delicate stage of its vaccine rollout,” Gatchalian said.
“They should explain why their projections are off! They are the sole agency tasked to assure the public of constant flow of electricity to homes,” he added.
Former Vice President Jejomar Binay also said he hopes the government has prepared for the power outages to prevent spoilage of COVID-19 vaccines, which must be in cold storage.
Binay said the rotating brownouts are not only inconvenient for families who are forced by the lockdown to stay at home but also to the small businesses and the working class.
"Many employees work from home and their productivity will be affected. It will also have an impact on small businesses who are already struggling to survive," he said.
"The failure to anticipate and prepare for brownouts is infuriating, but not surprising. Since the pandemic started, some of our government agencies were reactive and not proactive. And they move as if we don't have a crisis situation, so what do you expect?" he added.
In a Senate energy committee hearing last April 27, the DOE said no power outages are expected for April, May, and June in the Luzon grid.
Earlier, Gatchalian said the country cannot afford, even for a few minutes, any power interruption as this could have significant implications for vaccine storage.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health assured the public on Tuesday that it has contingency plans for its vaccination operations and for the storage of COVID-19 vaccines as rotational power outages hit Luzon this week.
Also, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) has issued a memorandum urging all electric cooperatives to observe due diligence to ensure the continuity of electricity supply to COVID-19 vaccine cold storage facilities and administration sites in their respective coverage areas.
Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said the agency is coordinating with power distributors and the local government units to ensure the COVID-19 vaccine supply will not be affected by the outages.
"There should be triple back up for facilities storing COVID vaccines,'' Fuentebella told GMA News.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said Tuesday households in Luzon can expect rotational brownouts for the first week of June as several power plants have gone offline.
NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said available capacity of the grid is at 11,408 megawatts (MW) while peak demand is estimated at 11,593 MW.
The grid operator said it may cut off power in areas at specific times—a process called manual load dropping–“to maintain the integrity of the power system.”
NGCP head of Luzon System Beng Abadilla said the power supply situation should return to normal by June 8 as a major plant that shut down will come back online.
Earlier, the DOE said the supply of power was affected by a suspected boiler tube leak in the GMEC coal-fired power plant Unit 2, which has a capacity of 316 MW. The plant is expected to be back online by June 8. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)
Meanwhile, the DOH said the National Vaccination Operations Center has given guidance and instructions to regional and local vaccine operations centers, implementation units, and vaccination sites in anticipation of potential brownouts due to low power supply amid high demand in Luzon.
The sites are tasked to ensure that contingency plans are in place, simulation activities have been conducted, and that back-up power sources are available.
"They are also mandated to closely monitor and report the temperature of their cold storage," the DOH said.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said it is closely monitoring the Luzon-wide red alert and the resulting rotational brownouts that began Monday.
“We are definitely looking into these outages and will take the necessary actions in accordance with existing laws and rules on the matter," ERC commissioner and spokesman Floresinda Digal said.
Senator Imee Marcos underscored the urgency of passing amendments to the Foreign Investments Act (FIA) as power outages took Luzon by surprise in the heat of summer.
Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on economic reforms, said foreign investments in the energy sector can provide a long-term solution to the growing needs of the country due to population growth and climate change.
“The power outages are a clear wake-up call that we have to get our act together before things get worse. Our growing energy requirements actually make the Philippines an attractive investment destination,” Marcos said.