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Thursday, January 31, 2013

Energy grid guarantees reliable and stable power for 2013 elections

By Alma L. Tingcang

PAGADIAN CITY, January 31 - - The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reiterates its commitment to the public that the country’s power grid will remain stable and reliable during the upcoming crucial political event.

Atty. Cynthia P. Alabanza, NGCP Spokesperson said a special task force has been organized which will be responsible for the smooth transmission of electricity and creation of contingency plans and measures during the election. It will commence operation as early as February 2013 and will work 24/7 from May 10 to 17, 2013, covering the election date which is May 13.

“NGCP creates a task force every election season to guarantee uninterrupted power transmission, and this election will be no different. Part of the task force’s mandate is to secure the lines and substations from any threats to avoid unplanned outages,” explained Alabanza. “Of course, NGCP can only guarantee that there will be no transmission related interruptions. Any power interruption caused by other factors, such as generation deficiencies, or those pertaining to distribution utility operations, are beyond our control,” she stressed.

NGCP will defer its regular maintenance activities 1 week before and 1 week after the election to make all the transmission assets available for power delivery. Alabanza assured, “We will make sure that power delivery is excellent and transmission lines and equipment are at their best to ensure that we have electricity for the voting machines.”

The Department of Energy (DOE) created a Power Task Force earlier this month intended to secure the country’s power supply for the mid-term elections. Together with other energy agencies, NGCP is also a member of the said task force.

“NGCP’s task force is aligned with the Power Task Force created by DOE. We shall be in constant coordination with them and with other agencies in the power industry, to ensure that we have a power interruption-free election this year,” said Alabanza. (ALT/NGCP/PIA9)