Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday, May 9 slammed the National Grid Corp. (NGCP) which, he said, should be held responsible for the sudden power outages that hit Luzon.
Gatchalian said the elevation of grid status to red alert on Monday, which resulted in power outages in some parts of Luzon is “reprehensible as it caused great inconvenience to many people and encumbered businesses from operating properly at a tiime when the country continues to experience high levels of heat index.”
“The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines should be held accountable for the tripping of the Bolo-Masinloc 230 kV Line 2 which resulted in the tripping of the Masinloc units 1 and 2 leading to the red and yellow alerts,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
“There can be no valid excuse for NGCP for its failure to conduct a comprehensive audit of its facilities given that system disturbances have already led to brownouts in Panay and Negros Islands just a month ago,” the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy also said.
He said the NGCP ought to have been more proactive and forward-looking in the management of energy supply following previous incidents that should have prompted the company to anticipate and address possible power interruption.
Likewise, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) should hold the NGCP answerable if they find any fault or negligence on the part of the transmission concessionaire.
“This is also a call on the DOE, NGCP, and power generation companies to coordinate closely when plants that are on forced outages will be able to go back online to minimize power interruption,” the senator said.
“Hindi katanggap-tanggap na patuloy na nagdudusa ang ating mga kababayan dahil sa kakulangan ng sapat na kuryente at ang kawalan ng paghahanda sa mga ganitong pangyayari. Kailangang panagutin ang mga ahensya na nagkulang at nagdulot ng perwisyo sa marami nating kababayan at mga negosyo (It's unacceptable that our people continue to suffer due to the lack of sufficient electricity and the lack of preparation for such events. The agencies that failed and caused harm to many of our citizens and businesses must be held accountable),” the lawmaker stressed.
Gatchalian also said the DOE should ensure the full implementation of the Transmission Development Plan which is designed to help identify and mitigate power disruptions and transmission-related outages.
DOE, he also said, should maximize the full potential of the Energy Virtual One Stop Shop (EVOSS) Law to reduce red tape, simplify regulations and streamline business processes of power generation, transmission and distribution projects in the country.