Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urged the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that the maintenance of natural gas plants remains on schedule and that any planned shutdowns do not extend beyond the set timeframe.
“We recognize that preventive maintenance is critical to deter unplanned downtime, which adversely affects businesses and inconveniences energy consumers,” he said.
Gatchalian, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, made the statement after the DOE announced that South Premiere Power Corp. and Excellent Energy Resources Inc. will temporarily shut down their facilities over the weekend.
The two power plants are jointly owned by Meralco PowerGen, San Miguel Global Power, and Aboitiz Power—three of the country’s largest energy providers.
Gatchalian emphasized that preventive maintenance is necessary to prevent unplanned power outages, which can disrupt businesses and inconvenience energy consumers.
He called on the DOE to take proactive measures in overseeing the maintenance process to ensure power supply remains stable throughout the shutdown period.
The senator also reiterated the DOE’s call for consumers to adopt energy efficiency and conservation measures to help maintain adequate power supply.
He noted that simple actions such as unplugging unused appliances, using energy-efficient lighting, and setting air conditioners at optimal temperatures could contribute to overall energy conservation.
Aside from reducing the risk of power interruptions, he said these efforts could also lead to lower electricity bills for consumers.
In a recent advisory, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) raised concerns over potential red and yellow alerts in the Luzon grid, signaling possible power shortages.
“We are hoping that the DOE would be able to ensure that this activity would not cause undue loss of power,” he concluded.
