The Department of Energy (DOE) said on Wednesday (June 2) that it is currently investigating power companies that conducted simultaneous maintenance of their power plants despite a memorandum circular prohibiting such from April to June.
DOE Undersecretary Felix Fuentebella said in the Laging Handa public briefing that the power companies involved in the power supply problem in Luzon could be facing charges of economic sabotage.
He added that the department had issued a memorandum circular prohibiting the power companies to conduct preventive maintenance from April to June due to the high demand of power supply during the summer months.
“Ang sabi ng Department of Energy, hindi na po namin hihintayin iyong Energy Regulatory Commission kung ano’ng gagawin nila, dahil isasama na rin po namin ang Department of Justice, na kung hindi kayo susunod sa mga polisiya ng Department of Energy — pinapaaral po namin kung ito po ay isang krimen that is tantamount to economic sabotage,” he said.
Fuentebella added that the power companies should have submitted their maintenance schedules to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and ensured that they have reserves.
“So, whether all these were violated or complied with, we are gathering pieces of evidence because ano bang gusto ng Department of Energy? Penalty ba? Hindi, ang gusto natin compliance. Pero kung patuloy ang hindi pag-comply, wala tayong magagawa kung hindi we have to impose the discipline that is necessary because at the end of the day, consumers are suffering,” Fuentebella said.
Meanwhile, the NGCP placed the Luzon Grid including Metro Manila under red alert status Wednesday morning.
The NGCP reported that the red alert status started around 9:00 a.m. and was returned to normal at 3:30 p.m., while yellow alert status was recorded in the Luzon Grid for the rest of the day.
The company said the electric supply in the area was lacking around 716 megawatts early Wednesday, causing the Luzon Grid to be placed under red alert status.
A red alert status means that there is a high chance for a power interruption, while yellow alert means that the power supply is low.
– Report from Allan Francisco/NGS-jlo
