DOE sees improvements after red, yellow alerts

The Department of Energy (DOE) is expecting improvements over the weekend amidst continuous power outages, as well as implementations of red and yellow alerts, as some power plants are back online.

In the press conference, DOE said that the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) gave timely advance notice of Red and Yellow alerts.

“Whenever red and yellow alerts are issued, let us not shoot the messenger. What is important is the message and the significance of the message. We can assist in this effort to reduce or decrease or manage the demand by reducing our power consumption during the hours covered by the red and yellow Alerts and during the peak hours in general,” said Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla.

When asked until when the public would receive these alerts, Lotilla said that it is dependent on the ‘extremely high temperatures.’ What the secretary stressed needed to be done was to ensure preparedness for the onslaught of high temperatures.

In a statement, the DOE said that through the Electric Power Industry Management Bureau, they had been cooperating with other government agencies like the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on extended forecasts for heat index and weather conditions.

Furthermore, once the green light has been given, the DOE will be looking into coordinating with the Department of Agriculture (DOA) for possible cloud seeding.

Meanwhile, Lotilla said that some power plants, such as the Sta. Rita, and Mariveles plants, came online yesterday.

“So over the weekend we are hoping for several major plants to be back online,” said Lotilla.

In terms of the power plants’ performance, the DOE said that it is important to adhere to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) allowable outages or power interruption limit.
The energy department emphasized that, in light of all these circumstances, what matters most is that everyone is able to react in a way that reduces power outages.

To prevent future power disruptions, the DOE promoted the construction of new power plants. However, delays in obtaining permits have hindered the progress of some projects. Additionally, the completion of transmission lines has been a challenge.

Lotilla then emphasized the significance of these factors, noting that delays adversely impact the public. To this, the DOE urged cooperation to ensure the successful implementation of planned power plants.