The Department of Energy projects sufficient power generation from the various power companies next year enough for the DOE to rule out yellow or red alerts no matter the feared impact of the El Niño weather disruptions.
Irma Exconde, director at the Electric Power Industry Management Bureau of the DOE, told reporters that while the various hydro power plants are forecast to sustain lower than normal power generation next year, there should remain sufficient power to meet the requirements of businesses and households.
Yellow alerts come on when the power reserve level in the grid is low. Red alerts are declared when actual power supply versus demand proves insufficient and power interruptions are imminent.
According to the DOE, of the rated capacity of 3,472-megawatts from hydro plants, the available capacity is forecast to drop by 79.1 percent to only 725.5 MW as El Niño peaks.
“We’re (ruling out) red or yellow alerts because of power plants coming (online) in 2024. Particularly, several solar power plants are coming in and these will be favorable under the El Niño scenario,” Exconde said.
The DOE said that next year, 2,952.393 MW worth of capacity from several power plants come online. Of this number, 971.375 MW or 32.9 percent come from solar.
Exconde acknowledged the optimistic projection could change if some of the coal-fired power plants unexpectedly shut down as a result of power plant shutdowns due to extreme temperature changes at the height of the summer months.
“From the supply side, we are looking at adequate levels. Even if these are adequate, we also anticipate there could be interruptions where the plants, especially the coal-fired power plants, are not at optimal levels So we have to monitor all of them very closely, especially the ones in Luzon,” DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla said.
He also said the DOE is making sure the national grid has a diverse source of electricity and enough fuel contracts to serve the requirements of the various power plants.
