The Department of Energy (DOE) Task Force on Energy Resiliency (TFER) says that they are working as quickly as possible to ensure restoration of power amidst Tropical Cyclone Kristine.
In a press conference, TFER Chairperson and DOE Undersecretary Felix Fuentebella stated that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the department to prioritize the safe restoration of power.
“The instructions from the president is for us to bring power back immediately with safety at most in our minds. So dapat mabalik agad yung kuryente,” said Fuentebella.
He added that instructions had already been issued by the Secretaries of the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of Health (DOH) to ensure that hospitals and water facilities have generators ready, as part of their previous El Niño preparations.
Fuentebella also said that the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), as well as distribution electric cooperatives, could already deliver electricity as long as there is no flooding.
“Kung kaya nang ibalik yung electricity services doon sa missionary areas o doon sa mga isla na dapat kaya nang mag-deliver yung gensets at pwede nang tanggapin ng customers upon clearance from the distribution sector,” said Fuentebella.
Meanwhile, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) reported that as of 1 p.m., 86 electric cooperatives (ECs) have been affected by Tropical Cyclone Kristine. Out of these, 50 ECs are operating normally, 29 are experiencing partial power interruptions, 6 are facing total power interruptions, and 1 EC has yet to submit a report.
The six ECs experiencing total power interruptions are KAELCO, KASUREKO 1, KASUREKO 4, SUREKO 1, SUMMER 1, and FICELCO.
The interruptions were caused by manual shutdowns for the safety of consumers and line workers, damaged distribution lines, and issues with NGCP and National Power Corporation (NPC) Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG).
