THE chairman of the House Committee on Energy has said that 920 megawatts have been committed under the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) to address the projected power shortage from March to July tis year.
Liberal Party Rep. Reynaldo V. Umali of Oriental Mindoro, who is also the cochairman of the Joint Congressional Power Commission, in a recent interview with the BusinessMirror said that these 920 MW are enough to solve the projected power shortfall this year.
House Joint Resolution (HJR) 21, which grants President Aquino emergency powers, wants the government to mainly use ILP in generating additional power capacity.
“As of January 28, there are about 920 MW available,” Umali said.
Based on established protocols, ILP is implemented during a red-alert status (minimal power reserve) upon the notice of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines and the power utilities informing ILP participants to deload from the grid.
The ILP is a voluntary program whereby businesses, such as malls and factories that have their own generators, can be disconnected from the power grid in times of short supply, and can sell any excess power they generate to distributors.
Through the ILP, the aggregate demand for power from the system will be reduced to a more manageable level, helping ensure the availability of supply during the summer season.
The approved HJR 21 said the projected power shortfall next year is 782 MW.
The resolution said the government shall reimburse the owners of self-generating facilities (SGFs) or backup generators, for fuel expenses and reasonable recovery for their use in accordance with the Energy Regulatory Commission rules, including the value-added tax.
It added that any entity with SGFs which is not registered under the ILP may be manually deloaded from the grid without compensation.
Earlier, Umali said that the government would need at least P200 million for the implementation of the ILP.
On September 12, 2014, President Aquino requested Congress for authority to establish additional power-generating capacity to ensure the energy requirements of the country during periods of very tight energy supply, as a strategic response to the need for specific, focused and targeted acquisition of additional energy capacities to meet the imminent power shortage in the Luzon grid due to the Malampaya turnaround, increased levels of forced outages of power plants, and delays in the commissioning of committed power projects.
Pursuant to Section 71 of Republic Act 9136, also known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, Congress may, upon the determination by the President of an imminent shortage of the supply of electricity, authorize the President, through a joint resolution, to provide for the establishment of additional generating capacity.
Besides the ILP, the resolution said that additional generating capacity shall be sourced from the fast-tracking of new committed projects; plants for interconnection and rehabilitation; and adoption and execution of energy-efficiency and conservation measures shall be pursued vigorously in both public and private sectors.
Earlier, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said that the House of Representatives enlisted as the first government institution to participate in the ILP to help mitigate an anticipated possibility of a power crisis this year.
“Lead by example,” Belmonte said as he urged other government agencies to subscribe to the ILP, during the recent ceremonial signing of the ILP agreement between the House of Representatives and the Manila Electric Co. at the Batasan Pambansa Complex.
“The HRep will participate in the ILP by registering its 1.7-MW SGF in the main building, as recommended by the engineering department. The deloading is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to cover the main building, including the south and north wings buildings,” the Speaker said.
Belmonte said that, while the ILP was mainly directed to large businesses and private establishments, the program does not preclude government institutions from participating and contributing to this noble cause of helping address the precarious power supply facing the country.
“I strongly urge other government agencies to join us by subscribing to the ILP. As we work together with the private sector, your support and sacrifice in this initiative will go a long way in helping sustain the country’s growth momentum,” he added.
The Speaker also took the opportunity to call on the Senate for the speedy approval of HJR 21, so that achieving power-supply stability, especially during the critical summer period, will be within reach.