‘Rotating brownouts possible next year’
Credit to Author: ANGELICA BALLESTEROS, TMT| Date: Wed, 05 Jun 2019 16:26:20 +0000
San Miguel chief urges Environment department to issue ECCs
SAN Miguel Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang has warned that daily rotating power interruptions are possible in the next four years because the country’s demand for electricity is exceeding supply.
During a briefing on the sidelines of San Miguel Food and Beverage Inc.’s annual stockholders’ meeting in Pasig City on Wednesday, the listed conglomerate’s chief said the brownouts could occur as early as 2020 and last until 2022.
Because of this, he added, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources needs to issue environmental compliance certificates (ECCs) so that power companies could begin building more energy plants.
“Kapag walang nai-approve na mga ECC kaagad para magtayo ng mga planta (If no ECCs are approved immediately so that power plants can begin construction), we are going to face rotating brownouts,” Ang warned.
“[Y]ou have to start now, kasi kung ang hinahabol mo [ay] next year, baka wala nang panahon” (because if you’re looking to build a plant next year, you may not have time), he said.
Ang cited Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) prices, which as of Tuesday was at P13, compared with the average P3 during rainy seasons, indicating that there may be a lack of an energy buffer.
San Miguel is planning to build 4×150-megawatt (MW) circulating fluidized bed (CFB) coal-fired power plants in Bataan province’s Mariveles town and Quezon province’s Pagbilao municipality through its power units Mariveles Power Generation Corp. and Central Luzon Premiere Power Corp., respectively.
A total investment of $4.8 million is needed to construct the two facilities.
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