Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 14) — The Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday said there will be no potential red and yellow alerts in 2024 despite the El Niño phenomenon causing losses to the country’s hydropower supply.
“Based on our projection and assumption, we will have 70% deration of the hydro capacity,” Irma Exconde, director of DOE’s Electric Power Industry Management Bureau, told reporters in a briefing.
Luzon island alone can generate over 2,000 megawatts of hydropower, according to the DOE. It explained that only 30% of that could be used or just around 600 megawatts.
Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla also said the country currently is not depending on hydropower plants, citing the advisory of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to prepare for the dry spell.
“Kaya hindi ginagamit ang Angat power plant sa ngayon, ito ay nire-repair and maintain during this period para hindi mababawasan ‘yung tubig na kailangan para sa agrikultura at water supply,” Lotilla also explained.
[Translation: That’s why the Angat power plant is not being used at the moment, it’s being repaired and maintained during this period so that the water needed for agriculture and water supply will not be reduced.]
The DOE said solar energy could plug the gap in supply from hydropower plants, with at least 1,000 megawatts in combined capacity expected to go online by next year.
“The major transmission projects will be in place,” Exconde said. “Then we will have no red and yellow alerts for next year with the assumption that the El Niño will last till second quarter.”
The energy czar noted that coal-fired power plants will not be entirely reliable as a power source during an episode of El Niño.
“Sometimes the coal-fired power plants do not work very well under hot temperatures, that is why we cannot assume that there will be no interruptions,” Lotilla said. “But we should try to minimize the interruption by making sure there are alternative plans that can come in.”
The DOE advised consumers to help conserve power during peak hours, adding peak demand could rise by over 10% during El Niño.
CNN Philippines’ Lois Calderon contributed to this report.
