Last week’s successive Red and Yellow Alert declarations by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines serve as a stark reminder of the strain on our energy grid, foreshadowing what may come in the days ahead as Filipinos ramp up the use of cooling appliances to battle the scorching heat.
Without the steadfast support of the private sector, thousands of Filipino households would have endured brownouts amidst the crippling heat. With economic growth driving continued increase in energy demand, the trajectory is clear: without increased capacity, the threat of rotating power interruptions will persist.
Priority must be directed toward cultivating an investment-friendly environment for the establishment of new power plants, while concurrently implementing measures that enable swift action to bolster our energy capacity. To effectively address this challenge, we must adopt a multifaceted approach, which includes prioritizing cleaner energy sources like liquefied natural gas and renewables.
The Department of Energy has revealed that the total capacity of power plants in forced outages has more than doubled over...