Business MirrorPublished on Wednesday, 20 March 2013 19:09
ZAMBOANGA CITY—Diminishing power supply and its increasing demand has been largely attributed here by Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla as the major cause for the continuous blackout in the entire Mindanao for the past many months.
Petilla’s observation was supported by Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Chairman Luwalhati Antonino. Both served as resource speakers in the Zamboanga Power Forum initiated last weekend by City Mayor Celso L. Lobregat at the Paseo del Mar here.
The Department of Energy (DOE) chief said the current power crisis in Zamboanga City and other areas of the Southern Philippines was seen as early as six years ago.
“Our capacity to supply power is going down but the demand for it is going up,” Petilla said. “What is needed now is a quick solution and the quickest is about four to eight weeks to go on diesel or bunker fuel which is very expensive to operate and maintain.”
Petilla said there is no short-term solution to the ongoing power-supply problem which requires a long-term remedy even as he stressed that the energy department ”is now planning out energy as a whole.”
He said that some of the solutions may not appear to be needed now, but they are actually needed in the future. “Otherwise, if we don’t consider them now, we will continue to suffer more serious power problems in the future.”
Petilla said: “To set up a hydro plant would take more than five years with about 159 permits to comply with. A coal-fired plant will also take time. All these possible solutions are long term.”
Antonino said Mindanao’s current serious power shortage is brought about by a confluence of various reasons but basically due to the continuing economic growth in the area.
“Magandang balita pero merong problem,” she said. “We are growing fast but we have no parallel increase in power supply.”
Antonino echoed Petilla’s position that the power crisis needs long-term, not short- term, solutions even as she urged each Mindanaoan to help alleviate the worsening power issue in the country’s second largest-island region.
“All of us must swallow the pill and the common objective now, especially for Zamboanga City, which is affected by a daily eight-hour brownout, is to increase the power supply,” she said.
Antonino said, “It is very important that everyone should be aware that we are a part of the solution. Energy conservation is everybody’s responsibility.”
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