Energy Department Secretary Alfonso Cusi wants a third party to assess the audit in the power sector to address issues of competency and credibility.
“We want the assessment to be made by a third party and we wanted to include that in our budget for 2018 so that we can have it auctioned and the third party can conduct the audit,” Cusi said.
“As to who will bear the cost, we have to also pass on the cost to the generation companies,” he added.
The DOE issued department circular no. DC2017-05-008 providing for the policies and guidelines on the conduct of performance assessment and audit for all power generation, transmission and distribution systems, and facilities.
Cusi said that all aging power plants would have to undergo retrofit and “we would like them to adopt the new technology because the other plants, because of age, their efficiency, their capacity factor is very low already and that is consult to consumers.”
Upon assuming office, Cusi issued a special order to the agency’s bureau to go through a technical and operational audit on the generation, transmission and distribution sectors to get a better picture of the power industry.
DOE has tapped the Integrated Insitute of Electrical Engineers of the Philippines Inc. (IIEE) and Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PS<E_ to conduct a technical audit on the power industry.
“But there are questions on competence, credibility, that’s why we’d like to give it to a third party,” Cusi said.
Last year, the country’s installed generating capacity has reached 21, 424 megawatts. Coal shared 34.6 percent, while renewable energy contributed 32.5 percent.