House Committee on Nuclear Energy Chairman Pangasinan 2nd district Rep. Mark Cojuangco didn't mince words as he gave his opinion about the Department of Energy's (DOE) policy on renewable energy (RE).

Speaking during the joint hearing of the Committees on Energy and on Legislative Franchises on Tuesday, May 26, Cojuangco assailed the DOE for its supposed heavy reliance on intermittent RE sources.

He went as far to say that the DOE was "deceiving" the Filipino public when it comes to the capacity of such sources, particularly solar and wind energy.

Cojuangco has claimed that current plans fail to address the realities of electricity demand. He warned that the country's current direction could lead to higher electricity prices, inadequate power supply, and greater hardship for Filipino consumers.

"Paano pag gabi ang solar? (How will solar energy work during night time?)" Cojuangco asked, as he tried to prove a point.

The congressman noted that solar facilities typically operate at only around 15 percent capacity factor, translating to roughly 3.6 hours of effective generation per day. Even with battery storage equivalent to an additional 20 percent of capacity, he argued that such systems would only provide about 45 minutes of backup power.

"Paano sasagutin ng baterya ang pangangailangan sa gabi? (How can the battery provide for nighttime electricity needs?)" he asked.

According to Cojuangco, portraying wind and solar as a complete solution to the country's energy challenges amounts to misleading the public.

"Ito po ay isang ehemplo ng marketing. Linilinlang po ang taong-bayan sa kakayahan ng wind and solar (This is an example of marketing. The people are being fooled about the capacity of wind and solar)."

The nuclear power advocate argued that the country still lacks a credible long-term solution to recurring power shortages. "Walang totoong solusyon ang DOE sa kakulangan sa kuryente sa Pilipinas (The DOE doesn't have a real solution to the Philippines' electricity problem)."

Cojuangco also raised concerns over the recurring outages experienced by generating plants. He said finds it difficult to believe that multiple shutdowns occur independently of broader supply constraints.

"I find it implausible that that happens in isolation. Baka pinipilit tumakbo nang sagad-sagad dahil kulang ang supply (Perhaps they're forcing it to run despite the supply shortfall)," he said.

The congressman further criticized the implementation of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA). He noted that the market structure has failed to encourage timely investments in new generation capacity.

He added that the DOE has been reluctant to confront the realities and consequences of inadequate supply planning.

Tuesday's hearing was held to find accountability for the back-to-back tripping of the 500 kilovolt (KV) Ilijan-Dasmariñas and Ilijan-Tayabas transmission lines, which resulted in rotating brownouts in Luzon and Visayas earlier this month.

As for which entity should be blamed for the outage, Cojuangco echoed Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez's stand that it shouldn't be system operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), which was concerned with transmission.

"I support the view of Congressman Rufus. Walang kasalanan ang NGCP pero madaling sisihin (NGCP has no fault, even if they're easy to blame)," he said.

Cojuangco said that policymakers should instead focus on the underlying causes of recurring red and yellow alerts, particularly the lack of sufficient generation capacity.

"Ang may kulang dito ay DOE...Palpak ang policy. Ang Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) ay isang panaginip. Pinapaasa niyo ang taumbayan sa pangarap na palpak!" he added.

(The DOE is the one lacking here…The policy is a failure. The Philippine Energy Plan is a dream. You are giving false hope to the people with a failed vision!)

"Kapag itinuloy natin ito nang walang sapat na baseload at reliable generation, disaster ang kahihinatnan nito. Patungo ito sa kahirapan ng Pilipino," Cojuangco further said.

(If we pursue this without sufficient baseload and reliable generation, the outcome will be disaster. This will lead Filipinos into poverty.)