Editorial: Summer’s power problemFebruary 14, 2015

It is now the middle of February. The very cold nights are giving way to slightly warmer ones. But by the last week of March, the summer season will begin in earnest. The temperature will steadily rise in April and May. Sometime during those sweltering months, the demand for electric power will hit its peak and the feared power shortage, for which President Aquino seeks emergency powers, will be upon us.

The House of Representatives was quick to approve Resolution No. 21 last December granting the President power to suspend certain laws and regulations hampering the production of electric power, such as the Clean Air Act and the Solid Waste Disposal Act, to allow the completion of certain power plants.The Senate has taken its time acting on its own resolution. It is now considering Senate Joint Resolution No. 12 to authorize President Aquino to raise the generating capacity of the Luzon Grid to meet the projected peak power demand of 9,000 megawatts this summer. The Grid Code mandates a reserve of about 1,650 megawats to allow for fluctuations and unscheduled breakdowns. The total need should be met by the confirmed plans of various energy agencies and private firms to use their own generating sets during the peak powers to lessen the demand during these hours.

The power problem has not been given much public attention lately because of intervening events, such as the Mamasapano killings, which have forced other national issues aside. But an announcement the other day that the public will have to pay more for its electric power consumption this week reminded us that the summer shortage problem is very much alive and will soon be here.

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, believes the voluntary Interruptible Load Program (ILP), in which private firms will run their own generation sets during peak hours, will be able to meet the shortage that may arise at certain days this summer. The participating agencies and firms will be refunded the cost of the diesel used in their generation sets. This is better, he said, than the Department of Energy’s proposal to lease gensets to generate 300 megawatts at a cost of P6 billion for two years.

The general public’s cooperation is also crucial. Buildings may raise the temperature in their premises by a few degrees to lessen the consumption of air-conditioning units. Households can help in a number of ways, such as turning off unnecessary lights and minimizing the use of electric appliances. A campaign on this matter can be launched by the Department of Energy and local government units listing things that can be done to keep down power consumption.