DOE Blamed For Mindanao Brownouts

By RIO ROSE RIBAYA
March 14, 2012, 9:55pm


MANILA, Philippines — The Mindanao bloc in the House of Representatives Wednesday blamed government officials in the power sector for the 150-megawatt shortage in electricity, which has been burdening residents with four hours of rotating brownouts across the southern Philippines for the second time since 2010.


Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez admonished the Department of Energy (DOE) for ignoring requests to dredge some parts of the Agus and Pulangui Rivers, which had been the source of more than half of the current 1,149-megawatt power supply in Mindanao.


“It has been two years. We had been meeting them (energy officials). They said they will drench (the rivers but until now there is still) no drenching. That’s the reason Mindanao has been left with this kind of problem. They failed Mindanao since 2010,” Rodriguez said.


He explained that the removal of silts along Baloy area would have enabled Agus hydropower plant to maximize its 660-megawatt available capacity to 820 megawatts, which could already provided quick-fix to the power deficit due 1,300-megawatt energy demand in Mindanao.


The veteran lawmaker said energy officials could have already sourced out 40 megawatts of power by desilting Pulangui River, which could have prevented a repeat of 8 to 10-hour rotating brownouts in Mindanao in 2010.


But citing an earlier sediment control and reservoir management study, DOE Undersecretary Ina Asirit argued the project to dredge Agus and Pulangui Rivers would not solve the energy problem on a long-term scale.


“The cost is something like P2 billion but it will not actually solve the problem because what will just happen is that you will just be able to dig deeper and have more space for the silt to come in because of denudation of the areas beside (the river),” Asirit explained.


“Within one to two years, we’ll have a more silted area in the Pulangi River,” she added, noting that the National Power Corporation (Napocor) is still waiting for the release of money that will extend the life of Agus hydropower plant.


Meanwhile, Bukidnon Reps. Jose Zubiri III and Florencio Flores asked government officials to rethink the privatization of three government-owned power barges in Iloilo City and another one in Davao City – a move expected to raise charges of electricity to P14 million.