Published
By Minerva BC Newman
Cebu City — The power
supply in Central Visayas is stable despite the high demand due to massive
construction activity and the peak holiday season.
Lourdes Arciaga,
regional information officer of the Department of Energy (DOE)Visayas said the
region’s energy system capacity supply is 2,412 Megawatts while energy
consumption is at 1,847MW.
“We don’t have problems
with the energy supply even during December,” Arciaga said. Energy demand in
the region spiked from August to October because of construction activity in
Cebu City, she added.
In its power
development plan DOE had considered forecasts and worst case scenarios and
solutions as well, Arciaga said. “We learned lessons from the disasters of
Yolanda and the Bohol earthquake.”
Coal and diesel plants
are the main sources of power in the Visayas, said Arciaga but the region has
so much potential for renewable energy, from geothermal in Negros and Leyte to
hydro, solar and wind in Cebu, Bohol, Negros Islands.
The renewable sources
of energy helped stabilize the power supply in Central Visayas, and the region
have fewer outages now compared to three or five years ago, she said.
In the Visayas, coal
and diesel make up 45.78 percent of the power supply, geothermal 41.19 percent with
the rest from hydro, solar and wind sources.
Arciaga said the onset
of La Niña will have minimal effect on the energy situation in the region, and
will likely affect only solar energy production.
The DOE has in place
programs for the promotion of energy efficiency, safety and resiliency of
energy facilities, she said.
Stakeholders and
inter-agency meetings and forums on energy efficiency and conservation measures
are regular events conducted at households, school campuses, corporate and
government workplaces.
Arciaga was guest at
the AGIO-7 Forum held at the PIA-7 Regional Office Wednesday where she revealed
the activities for National Energy Consciousness Month in December.
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