Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is pushing for a Senate inquiry to tackle the persistent energy crisis and propose possible legislative solutions amid ongoing tight power supply that is further exacerbated by El Niño.
Gatchalian recently filed Senate Resolution No. 1018, stressing the need to come up with a holistic approach from all stakeholders in the electric power industry to address the recurring problem of inadequate electricity supply impacting Filipinos.
“The persistent problem of insufficient electricity supply suffered by Filipinos requires a comprehensive solution from all electric power industry participants,” Gatchalian said.
Highlighting the pivotal roles of the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), he said it is essential for the government to take concrete actions with short, medium, and long-term solutions.
These solutions could also integrate full implementation of Republic Act 11258, also known as the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, including demand side management.
Since April 16, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has issued numerous yellow and red alerts, indicating thinning reserves or insufficient power supply.
These alerts were triggered by forced outages of 44 generation units, with 21 hydropower plants affected by low water levels due to El Niño.
Additionally, several generation units across the country operated at reduced capacities due to various issues. Over 2000 megawatts (MW) of energy were lost, resulting in power interruptions across 12 franchise areas and surging prices on the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).
Gatchalian emphasized the need to move beyond short-term fixes and address the root causes of the energy crisis, particularly the impact of weather-related disturbances like El Niño.
The average price of electricity on the WESM in the Luzon grid rose to P8.51 per kilowatt hour (kWh) from P6.30 kWh in the previous week. In the Visayas grid, the cost of power also increased by 13 percent to P9.02 kWh from P7.98 kWh in the previous week, he said.