
By Janine Dumaguin
The Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday, March 16, said the current supply of electricity is sufficient despite the possibility of having thin power reserves during the dry season.
In a Laging Handa public briefing, DOE Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan said there will be no shortage in supply of the electricity and forced outages for the entire period of the dry season.
“Sa ngayon po, hindi natin sinasabi na may kakulangan na tayo sa kuryente [o] magkakaroon po tayo ng tinatawag nating rotational brownout or outages,” Marasigan said.
However, he emphasized that there is still a possibility of raising yellow alerts in some parts of the country based on the supply and demand for energy.
According to Marasigan, a yellow alert may be raised in the Luzon grid in the months of May and June, but he emphasized that this may not necessarily lead to outages.
Meanwhile, the DOE projects that Visayas may experience a shortage of power reserves in the months of October and December.
A yellow alert is raised when power reserves are not enough to cover the largest running generating unit at the time, but does not necessarily lead to power outages.
The DOE urged the public to practice sustainable use of electricity, especially during the dry season. -cf