By Loui S. Maliza
Friday, January 27, 2012
MINDANAO Development Authority (MinDA) chairperson Lualhati Antonino lashed out Friday at the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) on its claims that Mindanao faces shortage of power supply due to deteriorating hydro plants in the region.
Antonino said she doesn’t believe NGCP’s claim and would ask the House of Representatives to investigate.
“Ako’y hindi naniniwala na lumiit ang supply at ‘yan ang dapat sagutin ng NGCP,” she said in an ambush interview after a forum conducted by the Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives (Amreco) at a restaurant in Cagayan de Oro.
Hydro plants are the main sources of power purchased by electric cooperatives (ECs) and distribution utilities (DUs) to provide electricity in the countryside.
“We should urge the congressmen for an investigation why is it happening that electric cooperatives now are forced to buy at much higher price on the pretext na maliit na ‘yong supply ng hydro,” she added.
Earlier, reports said the Department of Energy would be compelled to ask the electric cooperatives to buy more expensive power supply from other sources as hydro plants in Mindanao – the Pulangi and Agus - are on maintenance.
“The forum highlights the concern of electric cooperatives na mahal na ang bili nila sa power at napipilitan silang bumili ng supply from the private producers, dahil ang hydro plants natin ay hindi na daw makaka-supply sa kanila,” Antonino said.
Antonino admitted, however, that Mindanao could not solely depend on hydro because of the increasing demand. But she said NGCP should tell the truth about the “power supply and sources that the agency is not using.”
In a separate interview, Amreco president Sergio Dagooc said the association is ready to back up Antonino’s move by providing legal documents as evidence that NGCP is wrong about its announcements.
Since early January, NGCP has been announcing possible power curtailments in Mindanao in the next few days as a result of supply shortfall by 100 megawatts in the grid due to increasing demand and shortage of power supply.
Officials of NGCP have yet to issue their comment on the issue.
Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on January 28, 2012.
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