DOE: No power outages seen amid summer demand

MANILA, Philippines — No yellow and red alerts are expected during the summer months despite the forecasted surge in demand caused by warmer temperatures, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).

“So we’ll be fine for summer. We’re just hoping that other (power) plants will make sure that they won’t have forced outages,” Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said.

Guevara is counting on the capacity expansion of two natural gas plants controlled by tycoons Manuel V. Pangilinan, Ramon Ang and Sabin Aboitiz.

Following a scheduled shutdown over the weekend, South Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC) and Excellent Energy Resources Inc. (EERI) are now back online, with total capacity rising to 1,350 megawatts from 1,300 MW.

By next month, the combined capacity of these power plants will increase to 2,500 MW, Guevara said.

The temporary shutdown was a necessary measure to facilitate the vital mechanical work at Linseed Field Corp.’s liquefied natural gas terminal, a crucial step toward the completion of the onshore LNG storage tank.

Pangilinan’s Meralco PowerGen Corp., Aboitiz-owned Therma Natgas Power Inc. (TNPI) and Ang-led San Miguel Global Power (SMGP) sealed a $3.3-billion power deal earlier this year to launch the country’s first integrated LNG facility.

The deal involves MGen and TNPI jointly investing in SPPC and EERI, both previously wholly owned by SMGP.

Similarly, the energy giants also completed the buyout of Linseed Field, the owner and operator of the import and regasification LNG terminal in Batangas.

“We’re very happy that the tank of EERI and SPPC has been successfully installed,” Guevara said.

The capacity expansion of these generation facilities is expected to reinforce the country’s power supply, ensuring resilience amid rising demand driven by extreme heat and election-related activities.

Earlier, power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) assured its customers of its readiness to handle higher demand during the summer months.

Meralco, which serves at least eight million customers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, entered into an emergency power supply agreement with SMGP to secure 200 MW of its baseload requirements.