Power supply in the country for the rest of the year is deemed enough despite the expected effects of El Niño, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).
Still, the DOE said government agencies are leading the push for energy efficiency practices and conservation.
“There is adequate supply but we will continuously monitor. For example, the dams… they have good and adequate water supply but we’ve had to limit also the use for power because the agriculture sector has had an increased need for irrigation. So, we’re monitoring closely the rate at which the usage for irrigation is also depleting the volumes for power use,” Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla told reporters on the sidelines of the business-to-business matching event hosted by the DOE in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development in Taguig City yesterday.
With natural gas power plants and terminals as well as reception facilities now in place, the country’s power supply is “actually much better off now to cope with the El Niño than before,” Lotilla added.
During the same event, Rowena Guevara, energy undersecretary, said based on power outlooks being presented weekly to the DOE, there are no yellow nor red alerts seen for the year.
Yellow alerts are issued when the level of power reserve in the grid is low, while red alerts mean the actual power supply against demand is insufficient and power interruptions are imminent.
“…the public must still be wise in energy consumption… Because we have forecasted their consumption, but if they go beyond the forecast, of course, we will have a problem. That’s why we are saying, let us (continue) conserving energy,” Guevara said.
