As the country’s power supply is still at its wobbly state, the Department of Energy (DOE) guaranteed that it will conscientiously monitor the overall operations of the power grid so consumers can be alerted on any service interruptions and for relevant industry players to correspondingly sort out immediate solutions in case of unwanted blackouts.

“In order to avoid alert notices, the DOE closely monitors the integrity and reliability of the grid by continuously updating the power outlook that considers any changes particularly in the operations of power generating units,” the department stressed.

It is worth noting that there had been past events in the power system which descended into dreaded blackouts conditions – even within ‘low consumption’ period due to technical snags.

Previous fault-finding had been hurled both against the generation companies (GenCos) and the grid operator – and those incidents have not only shown the vulnerability of the Philippine power system, but on how helpless policymakers and regulators can get in some instances of unwarranted events, hence, it’s only the consumers who are always suffering in the end -- not just with rolling brownouts but even rate spikes.

In this year’s summer months, the dilemma of the power system will not just be in demand surge that will be precipitated by the scorching weather, but there’s an extra baggage of El Niño phenomenon that requires razor-sharp attention from the industry and the government alike.

Thrown into that conundrum, the DOE assured that it will continue “to monitor the country’s power situation to ensure energy security, especially during the next three months when scorching temperatures are felt.”

Energy Secretary Raphael P. M. Lotilla primarily acknowledged that “the summer period exerts significant pressure on electricity demand due to increased cooling needs, leading to peak demand shifts in consumption and infrastructure strain.”

Taking cue from that, the energy chief reiterated that the DOE will be “closely coordinating with all the stakeholders to carefully manage and plan for the effects of the summer period and the on-going El Niño to ensure reliable and sustainable electricity supply at the same time we request the support of everyone during this challenging period by being conscious in our use of electricity.”

Energy insecurity has already been a long-term predicament for the country; and until this time, policymakers are still wading through the ‘solutions terrain’ when it comes to providing lasting fixes to the power system’s shaky condition.

Primarily, since there are power generating facilities that have been traversing testing and commissioning phases, the DOE has directed system operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) “to expedite completion of this activity.”

Further,  NGCP has been reminded anew on committed completion of its major transmission projects by the first half of this year – specifically the 500-kilovolt (kV) Hermosa-San Jose and the 230kV Cebu-Negros-Panay (CNP) - stage 3 transmission projects.

In parallel, the power generation companies are prodded to comply with the schedule of maintenance shutdowns of their assets based on the approved Grid Operating and Maintenance Program.

Across prudently-operated electricity systems in other parts of the world,  power plants that are still at “commissioning and testing phases” are not counted reliably yet in the assessment of power supply-demand outlook, but this milieu is being stretched when it comes to assessment and power planning in the Philippines.