Supply ng kuryente, nananatiling sapat sa kabila ng banta ng El Niño ayon sa DOE
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00:00 [ANCHOR]
00:01 Supply of electricity to the province of El Niño.
00:04 We know that this is the case with Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Mario Maracigan.
00:09 Asek Maracigan, good afternoon and welcome to the new Philippines.
00:14 [MARIO MARACIGAN]
00:16 Good afternoon to all of us, especially to our listeners.
00:20 [ANCHOR]
00:22 Asek, how is the supply of electricity in the country?
00:26 Is this sufficient despite the effects of El Niño?
00:30 [ASEK MARACIGAN]
00:32 Based on our studies,
00:34 all of the supply of electricity that is needed for our demands
00:40 during this summer period,
00:43 and even if we have El Niño,
00:45 is sufficient and we are not lacking.
00:50 [ANCHOR]
00:51 Before the end of the year 2023,
00:53 there were reports that power interruptions are possible due to the effects of El Niño.
01:00 What is the reason behind your announcement that our supply is sufficient for the next few months?
01:07 [MARIO MARACIGAN]
01:09 The accumulation of our simulations that we did before,
01:13 the result is the same as now.
01:17 We are not lacking in our customers.
01:19 We should have power interruptions and outages in other places in the Philippines,
01:26 particularly in Panay,
01:28 which happened in April 2023 and even in the early part of January 2024.
01:36 But the problem is not only the lack of electricity,
01:41 but we also have problems with our transmission system.
01:47 [ANCHOR]
01:49 How is your monitoring of the major transmission projects of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines?
01:55 Are we still on the timeline of their projects?
01:59 [MARIO MARACIGAN]
02:01 Thank you for the question.
02:03 At the moment, we are expecting to complete
02:07 what we call the Cebu Negros-Panay State Street Project.
02:13 It will be completed this time of March.
02:17 We are hoping that we can transfer additional capacity from Negros to Panay.
02:27 We know that last month, we inaugurated and had a ceremonial switching
02:37 of the connection of what we call Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project,
02:43 where at the moment, Mindanao can distribute about 450 megawatts for the needs of Visayas.
02:55 And even this, we will continue to deliver it to Luzon.
02:59 [ANCHOR]
03:01 Just to make it clearer to our countrymen, based on your assessment,
03:06 how many megawatts will the demand for electricity increase this year
03:11 compared to the previous year?
03:14 [MARIO MARACIGAN]
03:16 At the moment, our projection is that we will have peak demand,
03:21 our biggest demand, which will reach 13,917 megawatts.
03:28 This can happen in the last part of May or at the beginning of June this year.
03:35 If we compare it to our projections last year, it's higher because our target was around 12,600 megawatts.
03:46 But because of the additional projects that are online this year,
03:55 and even what we are expecting to commission within this summer period,
04:01 we can see that our demand can support all of our plants,
04:08 even if the LNU has an effect on our hydropower facilities here in Luzon.
04:14 [ANCHOR]
04:16 Alright.
04:17 Asek, if the weather is hot, as we are experiencing now,
04:21 it is inevitable for some of our plants to get damaged,
04:25 and the lines of electricity are often affected.
04:28 What is the assurance that our plants will not have a problem
04:33 that a power interruption in the country is possible?
04:36 [ASEK]
04:38 Thank you for the question.
04:40 You are right.
04:41 Because the problem of our outages, or the problems of brownouts or blackouts,
04:47 is not only the lack of electricity supply,
04:51 but also because of the condition of our transmission facilities,
04:57 and even the distribution level.
05:00 It means that the services that our distribution utilities are providing,
05:07 like Meralko, here in the big city of Manila.
05:11 We are continuously coordinating with all of our power stakeholders,
05:18 where we are reminding our generating facilities
05:23 that their preventive maintenance programs should be aligned with the so-called grid operating management program,
05:33 where the time of their conduct of preventive maintenance is scheduled.
05:39 They cannot kill plants or have maintenance activities if the demand is so high,
05:49 particularly during the summer period.
05:51 When it comes to our transmission facilities,
05:55 we are also reminding them that our system operator should be ready and have their lines of electricity in order.
06:08 They should have their instructions.
06:11 If there are vegetation problems, the trees or leaves that reach our lines of electricity should be cleaned and arranged.
06:24 Their inspection should be done by our transmission facilities.
06:30 At the same time, we are reminding our system operator
06:36 that their projects that will have an impact on the transmission of electricity should be completed on time.
06:46 When it comes to our distribution system, this is localized.
06:53 Likewise, we should have an inspection on our lines of electricity.
06:58 We should clear the lines that could be affected.
07:04 Aside from that, we are reminding them to stop the so-called interruptible load program,
07:12 where our big consumers of electricity, if possible, should be able to collect.
07:21 They should reduce their demand, either they should schedule their production or they should use their own generation facilities
07:32 while the electricity that flows through our lines can be used by our other consumers.
07:43 When it comes to our consumers, we are also calling,
07:49 almost last year we are reminding them that we should be conservative in the consumption of electricity.
07:58 We should save because when we save, it is not only our electric service that we are saving,
08:07 but we are also helping to increase our bonuses.
08:12 Sir, how is your coordination with big industries and companies that strongly consume electricity?
08:22 Do we have programs for everyone to save electricity?
08:28 You are right.
08:30 We have a long-standing Energy Efficiency Conservation Act
08:38 where all our big consumers have standards that they should follow in the consumption of electricity.
08:49 Aside from that, the commercial or industrial facilities that have their own backup generators,
08:59 we are telling them to participate in the so-called interruptible load program,
09:07 where they can reduce the consumption of electricity from the line,
09:13 and instead, they should use their generation facilities where we can reduce the actual demand from our lines of electricity.
09:25 Alright. That's a message, Asec. And please remind our fellow countrymen, especially those who are saving electricity.
09:34 Thank you very much, Madam Aton. We are continuously calling all our consumers,
09:40 not only electricity but also the whole of our energy.
09:44 When it comes to electricity, we are calling for proper use and saving in the consumption of electricity.
09:53 This will help our pockets and will also help us to provide a good service to everyone.
10:02 When it comes to our fuel, we should plan our trip.
10:07 We should organize and condition our vehicles.
10:13 Because our vehicles are in a big shortage, we should plan our trips.
10:21 Thank you very much.
10:23 Alright. Thank you very much for your time, Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Mario Maracigan.