Business MirrorPublished on Sunday, 31 March 2013 20:37
LAWMAKERS have raised various proposals on how the government can address the power shortage in Mindanao.
Mindanao currently has a power shortfall of 294 megawatts (MW), as demand stands at 1,157 MW while actual supply is only 863 MW. The government reportedly has allotted P3.8 billion for the country’s power capabilities. It includes an amount for the rehabilitation of existing hydroelectric power plants in the South.
House Deputy Speaker Ma. Isabelle “Beng” Climaco of Zamboanga’s First District pushed for the creation of a Mindanao Power Corp. (MPC), which will ensure hydro-complexes are self-sufficient and can be improved without waiting for actions from the national government.
In terms of supply, she said the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Zamcelco) should contract enough electricity to meet its total demand.
“Government officials and the rest of the citizenry should check on how Zamcelco is being run and ensure that it has contracted enough power,” Climaco said.
She also urged the business sector to cooperate with Zamcelco in implementing the Interruptible Load Program (ILP).
The ILP is a demand-side management scheme, which provides payment to participating power consumers who enter a contract with Zamcelco for the voluntary interruption or reduction of the power supply given to them during peak periods or during emergency conditions.
She also urged the industrial sector and the local chamber of commerce to explore the time-of-use program by shifting their operations to off-peak periods.
Zamboanga City, she said, should put in place its own energy conservation program.
“Zamcelco and other stakeholders can do an information campaign to encourage consumers to conserve energy by encouraging the use of electric fans instead of aircons. Large consumers can institute energy-saving programs by minimizing the use of air-conditioning and using only energy-efficient bulbs,” she said.
“The local government unit [LGU] can lead by example by participating in ILP and energy conservation. We should also tap renewables, solar bulbs, solar panels and garbage-to-energy technology,” Climaco said.
Climaco has filed House Bill 6308 last year for the establishment of the MPC, which aims to ensure the viability and sound operation of the Agus-Pulangui Hydropower plants.
She has also filed House Bill 6061 seeking to prescribe urgent measures, necessary and proper, to effectively address the electric power crisis in Mindanao.
According to reports, Zamboanga City has been experiencing seven to eight hours of rotational blackout daily because of the power curtailment in Mindanao brought about by the reduced water level in Lake Lanao, its source of hydropower.
For the past month alone, the power demand of Zamboanga City is 79.821 MW but the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (Psalm) and the Therma Marine Inc. (TMI) could only provide a combined power of 54 MW, bringing the shortage to over 24 MW which translates to at least seven to eight hours blackout daily.
Meanwhile, Rep. Simeon Datumanong of the Second District of Maguindanao said the immediate solution to the power crisis is to assign power barges or tap existing private power sources to ensure there will be no disruption of power supply during the election period.
Reacting to reports of a looming power-rate hike in Mindanao, Datumanong said the government should make sure consumers would not be unduly burdened by any such rate increase.
“I think that is inevitable, although the government should try to ensure reasonable increase so that it will not be very heavy for the poor people,” said Datumanong, a former justice secretary and deputy speaker for Mindanao.
The Energy Regulatory Commission earlier said if the government decides to purchase generator sets to augment the current insufficient power supply in the region, distribution utilities and cooperatives will have to file a petition to recover the cost of the generators. source
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