Friday, 23 March, 2012
THE power shortage in Mindanao will last until 2013 even if the government moves to increase the base load capacity on the island by contracting more power barges and building coal-fired power plants, an official said Friday.
“In 2014 to 2016 you have enough committed projects,” Energy Secretary Rene Almendras said during a Cabinet meeting led by President Benigno Aquino III.
“Our shortage really here is in 2012 and 2013.”
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| Black Friday. Kidapawan City in Cotabato plunges into darkness. GEONARRI SOLMERANO |
Almendras said two coal-fired plants that will be built with a combined generating capacity of 300 megawatts would be operational only in 2014.
A temporary solution to plug the power shortage on the island would be to contract at least seven power barges and rehabilitate the old transformers of the Agus VI hydroelectric plant.
Almendras said two of Therma Marine Inc.’s power barges with a capacity of 100 megawatts each could be contracted. Therma Marine could also sign a contract with the electric cooperatives in Mindanao to deliver another 85 megawatts of power.
Mr. Aquino, however, said contracting the power barges would result in higher electricity costs in Mindanao.
“You will have to share the burden,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Energy Department on Friday said it had released the circular that would result in the freeing up of as much as 300 megawatts of electricity to plug the power shortage in Mindanao.
The circular orders state-run National Power Corp. And the other power suppliers in Mindanao to make all available capacities for the use of the Mindanao grid. Mindanao was short of 150 megawatts of power as of Friday.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers from Mindanao, upset over the crippling power shortage on the island, on Friday demanded the ouster of Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and other Energy Department officials for their supposed gross incompetence and dereliction of duty.
They made the demand even as House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. expressed full support for House Resolution 2303 filed by Mindanao’s lawmakers urging the government to implement “urgent and necessary” actions to ease the power shortage on the island.
“Yes, I support the House Resolution filed by our Mindanao congressmen,” Belmonte told the Manila Standard.
“We have to investigate to know what is going on.”
Belmonte said the House leadership will give priority to the resolution and other similar resolutions seeking end Mindanao’s power shortage.
Mindanao’s lawmakers are demanding the ouster of Almendras and the top officials of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp., National Power Corp., and the Energy Department’s agencies.
“Almendras and his people allowed the power crisis to happen and worsen despite the fact that they are aware of the power shortage in Mindanao upon the assumption of President Aquino in 2010,” AGHAM party-list Rep. Angelo Palmones said.
House Minority Leader and Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay, a member of the House committee on energy, felt the same way.
“This is a very clear case of noynoying the Mindanao power problem,” she said.
“No amount of technical, economic and financial justification is acceptable. Lying and resorting to disinformation and deceit to cover up the mess won’t work at all.
“We cannot blame Mindanao’s lawmakers for seeking the ouster of these incompetent, insensitive and noynoying energy officials who are inflicting so much damage and suffering to the people of Mindanao.”
Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datumanong said Almendras and the other officials responsible for the power outages in Mindanao should resign immediately.
“If Secretary Almendras neglects to solve the problem in Mindanao, then he should resign,” said Datumanong, member of the House committee on Mindanao Affairs.
“Clearly, Secretary Almendras has failed to solve the power shortage in Mindanao again.”
Palmones said Almendras and other officials “should be fired for sheer incompetence and negligence and dereliction of duty.”
“They were all aware of the power shortage and requirements of Mindanao,” he said.
“They knew that the onset of summer would result in low water levels in the dams that would prevent the hydroelectric power plants from totally meeting the power supply requirement of 1,300 megawatts.”
Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexi Nograles said the power shortage in many parts of Mindanao was a crime against the people.
“Mindanao could not be lacking in power sources,” he said.
“I hope it is not human greed that is causing all our woes.”
Palmones said Almendras and his people knew that the use of power barges was one of the major solutions to the problem, but in January they did not do anything to rehabilitate four idle power barges capable of supplying 400 megawatts to Mindanao. They wanted to privatize all the power barges.
Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab complained of the government’s supposed inaction on the problem.
““We hope they [Almendras and his officials] can immediately find a remedy,” he said. With Alena Mae S. Flores and Maricel Cruz
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