MANILA, Philippines - Despite Congress being on campaign break, Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo yesterday said he will be seeking permission from the leadership of the House of Repre-sentatives to conduct hearings regarding rotating blackouts.
Arroyo, chairman of the House committee on energy, said he will ask permission from Speaker Prospero Nograles to conduct the investigation, if only to allay the fears of some sectors that the administration is out to sabotage the May 10 presidential elections.
“We are not taking chances. The May 10 automated polls is a historic first in the country and we have to ensure that no power outages would occur that day, thereby ensuring that the results of our first automated polls will be as credible as (possible),” he said.
But Arroyo, the eldest son of President Arroyo and First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, refused to describe the situation as a power crisis. “The situation is still manageable.”
“And as chair of the House energy committee, I will do everything in my power to resolve the issue and ensure not only a brownout-less election day, but as well avert what is now being projected as a looming energy crisis,” he promised.
Power outages have mainly been due to maintenance work
and lack of fuel supply. The young Arroyo would not want to create the impression that the government will resort to cheating by inducing massive power outages all over the country on election day.
All the concerned government agencies have likewise been advised of the possible probe.
“We have begun writing the concerned agencies, the Department of Energy, the Napocor (National Power Corp.) and all the players in the energy sector informing them of the hearing for purposes of power supply inventory,” Arroyo disclosed.
“We have to hear from them directly the status of our energy supply as compared to our energy requirements, particularly come summer when the energy requirement is at its peak,” he stressed.
“And from there, we have to know what would be the requirements to prevent any brownout from occurring especially during the election proceedings,” Arroyo added. He will be replaced by Mrs. Arroyo in the second district of Pampanga if she wins the polls.
Arroyo said there has to be an inventory of power supply in the country.
Last week, Metro Manila and some provinces in Luzon began experiencing two- to three-hour daily blackouts after the 540-megawatt (MW) Limay combined cycle power plant in Bataan went offline for maintenance work.
The Malampaya gas to power project, which supplies 2,700 MW of natural gas to three power plants in Luzon, is also undergoing maintenance repairs.
Aside from Malampaya, records from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) show that another five large power plants in Luzon are shutting down for repair and maintenance work.
These power facilities are the 1,200-MW Ilijan natural gas-fired power plant in Batangas; 460-MW coal-fired facility of the Quezon Power Philippines Ltd. Co.; 1,000-MW Sta. Rita natural gas facility; 600-MW Calaca coal-fired plant and the 700-MW Pagbilao coal facility.
The 650-MW Malaya power plant was forced to run at near maximum load despite low fuel reserves.
To aggravate matters, the El Niño weather disturbance is straining the capacity of the country’s hydroelectric power plants.
With regard to the fuel requirement for the Malaya plant, the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. has already committed to immediately release funds to the Napocor so it can purchase the fuel needed for the power plant, whose inventory was also almost depleted.
By Delon Porcalla
The Philippine Star
Updated February 16, 2010 12:00 AM
Follow us on: