CITIZENWATCH PHILIPPINES’ STATEMENT ON POWER OUTAGES
May 6, 2019CitizenWatch Philippines supports the imposition of penalties on power generation companies in case of their inability to provide replacement power in case of unplanned outage. This measure works towards the interest of consumers who suffer the consequences of power shortages, brownouts and increased electricity charges.
As one of the solutions discussed in the Joint Power Congressional Commission (JCPC), the group urges the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to approve power supply agreements (PSA) in order to increase power supply.
While efforts of the Commission in addressing the issue on power outages are recognized, such as instituting reliability performance scorecards to impose maximum allowable number of outages, provide mechanism for the imposition of appropriate fines and penalties and to strengthen evaluation process for the renewal of the generation company’s Certificate of Compliance, the regulator must prioritize prompt action on pending 85 PSAs.
Without new power capacities, we will forever be hounded by the vicious cycle of thinning power reserves.