As the country gears up for national elections this year, a climate and energy policy group has forecast a possible power shortfall across the Luzon grid this summer, particularly in the weeks before the May polls.
Alberto Dalusung III, energy transition advisor of Institute of Climate and Sustainable Cities, said his group ran scenarios using data from the Department of Energy and National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, the Quezon City-headquartered privately owned firm created by law in 2009, which is a consortium of three corporations: Monte Oro Grid Resources Corporation, Calaca High Power Corporation, and the State Grid Corporation of China.
The major power lines of the Luzon Grid are the overhead Sucat-Araneta-Balintawak and Hermosa-Duhat-Balintawak transmission lines which both serve the Metro Manila area, with the latter also serving the Central Luzon provinces of Bataan, Pampanga, and Bulacan and has been in service since 2000 and June 1994, respectively.
Dalusong painted at ANC’s “Rundown” a conservative scenario which has forced the group to think “that we will fall into what is called red alert status (which) means we don’t have enough capacity for the load and a certain reserve margin and, because of that, there might be blackouts in the grid during that period.”
That is rather a frightening scenario, particularly if it should happen during the counting of ballots cast—which is a ferocious mnemonic of what happened in the same national elections six years ago.
This early, officials concerned should leave no lines unattended to ensure that there would be a stable power supply during the elections when the people will stake their future in the next six years and beyond, and doubtless help economic rehabilitation following the nearly two-year pandemic.
So much is at stake.
Should the pessimistic scenario be uncontrollable, power rates, now an unforgiving hammer on many households but particularly, increased rates in power would necessarily be a backwash.
Which means Filipinos in the affected areas would have to disproportionately reduce consumption during critical hours of May 9, when more than 65 million registered voters shade their ballots for their leaders during the next three to six years.
At the same time, major establishments would have to reduce their power consumption by running their own generator sets or employ what is known as “voluntary load curtailment.”
Aggravating this downbeat scenario is the perceived paper-thin stock in the few weeks to and after the elections.
It is encouraging that the group has promised to monitor the situation.
But officials must not wait for the monitoring of results. They must posthaste get down to the nuts and bolts of the situation and address, where possible, the projected power deficit.