by CNN Philippines Staff | April 18, 2023| Published by CNN Philippines | READ THE STORY HERE

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 18) — There’s enough power supply now but reserves are thin, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Tuesday, citing the Department of Energy.

The OCD, however, said it expects a bump in supply in the coming months as the Ilijan LNG Power Plant and the First Gen Power Plant come back on line.

“Although manipis sa ngayon iyong reserba pero pagdating ng June or July, it was reported July madadagdagan or mabubuhay muli iyong Ilijan LNG Power Plant at madadagdagan din ng isa pa, iyong First Gen Power Plant totaling at least additional 1,200 megawatts of additional supply,” OCD undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno told a briefing.

[Translation: Although reserves are thin right now, but come June or July, it was reported that in July the LNG Power Plant will come up along with the First Gen Power Plant totaling at least 1,200 megawatts of additional supply.]

Nepomuceno made the announcement after a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., where the OCD and other government agencies discussed measures to be taken to mitigate the effects of El Niño.

Meanwhile, the latest report from the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) warned of possible yellow alerts for the Luzon grid beginning April 24 due to increased power demand.

“Higher demand during summer lowers the available generating capacity from Weeks 17 (April 24 to 30) to 24 (June 12 to 18) of 2023. The supply can further deplete as forced outages of large baseload power plants can unexpectedly occur in these times, likely pushing the system into yellow alert and near red alert levels,” said ICSC chief data scientist Jephraim Manansala.

The ICSC noted that among the measures the government must take to prevent power supply from falling under red alert levels are to ensure ancillary services are in place and that committed power projects be completed on time.

A shift to “flexible and distributed power generation using indigenous and readily available renewable energy sources” is needed to provide secure and reliable power for all, said Manansala.

“Apart from the government and key power sector players, we need the cooperation of consumers in ensuring the continuous supply of electricity in Luzon,” he added.

CNN Philippines’ Rex Remitio and Pia Garcia contributed to this story.