DOE conducts public consultation in Davao for safe renewable energy dev't.

The Department of Energy (DOE) conducted Thusday last week a public consultation in Davao City for the proposed new department circular appropriately titled “Renewable Energy Safety, Health and Environment Rules and Regulations (RESHERR)” which will hopefully be approved before the end of the year. 

“The new circular, which is yet to be approved by the DOE Secretary, is part of DOE’s proactive stance in ensuring the safety of the operations of renewable energy sources,” Renewable Energy Management Bureau (REMB) Director Mario C. Marasigan said. There is an existing rules and regulation, he added, but it only covers geothermal energy so the proposed circular will expand on the sale law and will cover all renewable energy sources including hydro, geothermal, biomass, wind, solar and soon ocean energy.

Marasigan said this is a reminder to all those involved in the renewable energy industry to be ready for any eventuality or emergency that may challenge their operations in the long term. He said it is practical to update the old rules and regulations  since geothermal used to be under a different bureau before, but is now placed under the jurisdiction of the REMB.

The proposed rules and regulations comes as a result of the enactment into law of Republic Act 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act in 2008. The new circular aims to “ensure the adequate safety and protection against hazards to health, life and property as well as pollution of air, land and water from Renewable Energy operations,” he added.

The final consultation is scheduled in Manila next week, after which a consolidation of all the concerns and consultation results will be made by the Bureau. After which, it will be submitted to the DOE secretary for approval. Once published, the new circular will have the force of law.

$30M Power Barges to Ensure Mindanao's Power Supply

Aboitiz Power Corporation has recently purchase two power barges worth $30 million to ensure Mindanao's power supply within the next few year.

This was bared byAboitiz Power President and Chief Executive Officer Erramon Aboitiz during a press conference held at The Marco Polo Davao yesterday.

"These two power barges are expected to play a key role in ensuring power supply in Mindanao," Aboitiz said. Mindanao's power supply is predominantly sourced from hydropower, he added, but in case of El Nino or if the water dries up then the barges will come very useful.

The two power barges, which are currently operational and located in Agusan and Maco, Pantukan in Compostela Valley Province, will be able to deliver 200 megawatts.

“Clearly power shortage is a threat,” Aboitiz said. “The two power barges will take care of it. The power barges are a good stopgap measure.”

A Power Summit is being planned for November this year to prepare for any power crisis in Mindanao which, according to the Mindanao Business Council, is already feeling the crisis. The power crisis in Mindanao has also been confirmed by Department of Energy undersecretary Zamzamin Ampatuan.

Power crisis in Mindanao now a reality-DOE

The Department of Energy confirmed that the supposedly looming power crisis in Mindanao is already happening.

This was the revelation made by DOE undersecretary Zamzamin Ampatuan, who said the power crisis everyone is talking about already exists and will get worse if the agencies and companies concerned are not able to provide a solution by end of the year.

“Indeed there is a shortage.” Ampatuan said the critical period has been known to the government, especially from the DOE’s point of view, as early as 2007. But for Mindanao, he added the critical period has already started this 2009 but the solution is still unclear.

He said the immediate solution identified by the government includes the putting up of new power plants. However, he said, only three power plants are actually committed but it will take about three years to get all of them done.

Among the three projects are the Sibulan Hydro which is currently being done, the Mindanao 3 at the peak of Mt. Apo which is on the way to completion and the Kabulig Hydro which is experiencing some problems

“And even if these guaranteed power plants are completed they will still be short of the projected shortage of around 400MW,” Ampatuan said.

The Conal Holdings Corporation of the Alcantaras has unveiled a $450 million coal-fired power plant in Sarangani Province, which can generate up to 200MW of power but Ampatuan said this would be up by 2013 and would probably be enough to sustain the requirement to be subsistent.

The DOE projected a peak demand of at least 1,525MW for the Mindanao power grid and that projection does not even include the increase in demand when the big malls like Robinsons and SM City start to operate in General Santos City.

National Grid Corporation of the Philippines Gensan manager Manuel Jamoy earlier said that they are projecting a required capacity of 2,556MW for the Mindanao Grid by 2014.

He said Mindanao needs new power plants by December but even the DOE is at a lost as to where this power requirement can be sourced from. “By December we are not expecting any new power plant to be up,” he said.

The projected operation of the Sibulan plant will be a little solution, he said, but it will not address the whole problem that we will face by December.
“The challenge of putting up something quick is very serious,” he said. While the country is faced with another political exercise in 2010, there is only one thing that will address the problem of a power crisis in Mindanao and the whole country and that is to be more efficient in terms of power usage.

A DOE program is eyeing to save between 400 to 500MW of power, which is equal to one power plant, through the used of incandescent bulbs. Also included in the solution is the construction of energy-efficient buildings.

“These are quick solutions that are immediately doable; everybody can be a participant from the poorest to the richest,” he said. If all of these are adopted, he added, we can save as much as 2000MW of power in one year.

Braga Urge Gov't, Agencies, Private Groups To Closely Monitor Implementation of Fuel, LPG Price Rollback

Davao City Councilor Pilar Braga yesterday urged government offices and private groups to closely monitor if the concerned entities are implementing the roll back in the prices of fuel, Liquefied Petroleum Gas or LPG and fare.

In a resolution she passed during this morning's council session, Braga cited the Department of Trade and industry, Department of Energy, Task Force Liquefied Petroleum Gas, Land Transportation Office and the Franchising Regulatory Board as the government agencies that should spearhead the monitoring of the price rollback, She also urged other consumer groups to monitor the rollback in the prices of LPG, fuel and fare.

Braga said the prices of oil products have rolled back several times during the past weeks. However, she added, oil companies are quick to increase prices but are not that quick when it comes to reducing the prices when there is a price rollback.

The slow pace in the adjustment of taxi and public utility fares is a case in point, she said.

She said the price of LPG has been rolled back the past week but LPG prices in the city practically remain the same.