Petilla: PH will be short by 900 MW by 2015

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MANILA – The need for additional power in 2015 is rising as the projected power requirement for next year increased to 900 megawatts (MW).

This, according to Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla, is despite their efforts of looking for possible sources to prevent the country from experiencing power shortages next year.

Petilla stressed the need for contracting additional generating capacity from 200 MW to 500 MW. He, however, added that the required capacity has increased to 900 MW because some plants are no longer coming on-steam by March.

“That will even be higher if we count out the 150-MW plant of DMCI (D.M. Consunji Inc.),” he later told reporters.

He presented on Thursday a draft of a joint resolution that will authorize President Aquino to acquire by purchase or rent some modular generator sets, asking large businesses to supply their own needs, or both.

The energy department is also looking into tapping the interruptible power load (ILP).

Petilla said that under the program, the government can ask large corporations and industries to instead of using their connection with the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the government could request them to use their generator sets.

Petilla also added that the government may also buy the full generating capacity of these businesses.

“The committee feels we have sufficient reserves here in the self-generating sets that private individuals or private corporations own. We have as much as 3,163 MW in Luzon alone owned by companies that use it as backup power. That’s quite a lot,” he said.