By Liezle Basa Iñigo and Patrick Garcia

PANGASINAN------Former Vice President and UNA senatorial aspirant Jejomar C. Binay urged the government to cut the red tape and streamline the approval process for new power plants to help prevent a return to the crippling power outages in the 1990s.

Binay visited several towns in Pangasinan, the third vote-rich province in the country, on Wednesday, March 2, including Manaoag, Mangaldan, San Fabian, and Binmaley.

Binay said new power plants will help meet the projected demand for energy in the near future, sustain economic growth, and help provide jobs and livelihood opportunities.

Under the present set up, it takes years to secure a permit and operate new power plants.

“The ones we have are prone to frequent breakdowns and cannot meet rising power demands. Hindi na nila kayang tugunan ang mataas na demand sa kuryente, lalo na kapag summer,” he said.

Binay issued the statement as the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) warned of thinning power supply in Luzon during the months leading to the May elections.

In January, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) also warned of thin power supply in the Luzon grid during the summer season.

The NGCP had said that the Department of Energy (DOE) projected higher peak demands of 12,387 megawatts (MW) for Luzon for the period, or 747 MW higher than the 11,640MW recorded in the same period last year.

Unless the process is simplified and new power plants are opened soon, Binay warned the country could experience prolonged brownouts similar to the ones experienced in the 1990s.

“Hindi lang ito pahirap sa ordinaryong mamamayan. Maapektuhan din nito ang mga negosyo at maging ang ating ekonomiya (This will not only burden our ordinary citizens. It will also affect business and the country's economy),” he said.

He noted that the long approval process makes it hard for supply to catch up with the demand.

“Kapag nag-ooperate na ang bagong planta ay hahabulin lang nito ang kinakailangang supply. Halos walang reserbang supply, kung hindi man manipis (When new plants are in operation, these will provide the needed supply. Right now, we are lacking in reserve or the supply is very thin),” he said.

Binay reported that some power plants in the country are already in need of maintenance or are prone to breakdowns.

“If we keep on running them to keep up with current demand and defer maintenance, this could lead to frequent and longer maintenance periods for them in the future,” he added.

It also makes these power plants prone to unplanned maintenance shutdowns, Binay said.