House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate is not buying the boast of “rosy electric power projection” aired by the Department of Energy, noting that its claims “do not inspire confidence.”
"The DOE rosy claims do not inspire confidence as these do not show the entire picture,” said Zarate in a press statement.
. ”Industry insiders are saying that DOE's forecast does not factor in forced outages in these projections and these tend to happen during summer time right smack into the elections,” he explained.
During the recent House Committee on Appropriations briefing on DOE’s 2022 budget, Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella disclosed that projections from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) indicated that the country will have enough power supply during the elections in May 2022.
Zarate noted that when interpellated, DOE officials claimed that power reserves during the weeks before, during, and after the elections would not go below 1,500 megawatts (MW), supposedly still above the yellow alert status.
"Normally, forced outages take out 2000-3000MW from the grid, so this will wipe out the supposed energy reserves that DOE is assuring us and this situation may result to brownouts,” he said.
Zarate stressed the necessity for DOE to present to the public a detailed detailed plan to ensure electricity during the elections and secure our power reserves," said the Davao-based solon.
"Also, it seems that they also have not factored in yet the power plant maintenance schedules during that time," he added.
"Considering how the DOE high officials led by Sec. Cusi now are deeply buried in partisan politics, it is only prudent that rhe department should give a full, detailed plan on how to assure the country and our people with stable, dependable supply, especially during the elections next year,” he said, referring to Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.
Cusi is the president of a PDP-Laban faction that is pushing for the nomination of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and President Rodrigo Duterte for its presidential and vice presidential bet in 2022.