Meralco deploying 150 generator sets for May 13 polls

Published May 9, 2019, 10:00 PM By Myrna M. Velasco

https://business.mb.com.ph/2019/05/09/meralco-deploying-150-generator-sets-for-may-13-polls/

While the drizzly weather takes a lot of heat off from tight supply conditions, power utility giant Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is not taking chances, hence it will be deploying more than 150 generator sets (gensets) to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the May 13 election and the subsequent canvassing period.

“These generator sets intend to provide basic lighting to polling and canvassing places in case of unexpected power interruptions,” the utility firm said.

It added that “around 300 floodlights will also be ready for deployment and use in case of emergencies,” although it still advised polling centers to bring “back-up lights” and they must also need to keep pace with precautionary measures.

Part of the caution set out by Meralco is directed on those who will be manning the voting precincts and canvassing centers, purportedly “to avoid plugging in unnecessary appliances to avoid overloading and octopus wiring.”

It further advised the public “to refrain from using balloons, firecrackers, confetti and party poppers near overhead lines and facilities to avoid tripping and power interruptions.”

In a related development, the Department of Energy (DOE) is likewise intensifying its coordination with stakeholders to ensure sufficient and reliable power supply on this year’s mid-term elections.

Via the Energy Task Force Election that the department is spearheading, it has stepped up collaborative efforts primarily with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and then with key stakeholders in the industry, such as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines; the generation companies and the distribution utilities like Meralco and the electric cooperatives.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi declared that “our main goal is to ensure that there will be adequate and uninterrupted supply of energy during the election period.”

Power grids, primarily Luzon, had turned jittery in weeks leading to the election season because of the series of yellow and red alerts that had plagued the system following the simultaneous outages of power plants.

Those scenarios raised fears of possible adverse impact that probable rotating brownouts may spark off on the election results, hence, the DOE had been taken to task by other relevant government agencies – including the two houses of Congress – so it can guarantee power supply sufficiency in this very critical political exercise in the country.

Cusi qualified “Filipino voters deserve clean and unquestionable elections with the stable provision of energy during the voting until the full transmission of results.”

The energy department thus emphasized “the importance of close coordination” not just with the power industry players but also with law enforcement agencies and security groups of the country – chiefly with the National Security Council, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection and the Philippine Coast Guard.