Published
By Myrna Velasco
The ‘digital era’ is
similarly sweeping the Department of Energy (DoE) that it is now pushing for an
audit of the power facilities underpinned by the proficiency of ‘super computers’
or with the aid of an information technology (IT) platform.
“We’re looking at a
comprehensive audit of the entire power system, and that audit will lead to
computerization also of the entire system,” Energy Undersecretary Felix William
B. Fuentebella said.
He acknowledged the
voluminous documents being submitted to the department by the various segments
of the power industry, thus, there is that considerable need to have these data
processed systematically.
Analysis of the data
that will be gathered and how will these eventually be used in policy
formulation as well as their integration into the Philippine Energy Plan would
be among the items that the DoE has yet to expound on.
“We realized that the
submissions of documents have been repetitive – not just at the DoE, but even
to other agencies and authorities in the sector,” Fuentebella noted.
The department’s
initial step is to sort out the power sector’s audit guidelines, with the
energy official citing ‘duplications of such processes’ among various agencies
and relevant committees in the sector.
The intent, Fuentebella
said, would be to harmonize these audit and evaluation initiatives on the
operations and technical efficiencies of these power facilities.
Just to coordinate
these processes and to operationalize them methodically, the key agencies of
the energy sector – including the National Electrification Administration,
Energy Regulatory Commission, the Grid Management and Distribution Management
Committees – have decided to defer the power facilities’ audit process to next
year.
Volunteers from the
engineering discipline – those from the Institute of Integrated Electrical
Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. (IIEE) and the Philippine Society of
Mechanical Engineers (PSME) – may still be involved in the audit task.
By re-assessing not
just the physical state of the power facilities but also the potency of their
operations, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi noted that the outcome of the
audit can also guide them eventually on the crafting of policy relating to
resiliency of energy infrastructures.
In the interim, Cusi
noted that the energy department monitors the daily situation of the power system,
primarily the ‘stresses’ triggering yellow or red alert conditions in power
grids.
“We regularly assess
the performance of power generation companies to monitor efficiency of their
operations. This performance assessment or benchmarking aims to review and
develop policies to improve power generation,” he said.
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