FOLLOWING the impact of Typhoon Aghon in the country, the Energy Department stated that they are continuously working to restore electricity, particularly focusing on repairing power lines.
During a public briefing on Tuesday, DOE Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan said that nearly 2,500 megawatts (MW) of direct or indirect total capacity were affected by the typhoon.
“This includes our three units in Pagbilao, along with the unit of our Botocan hydropower facilities, and there are other plants where the impact is quite significant,” Asec. Mario Marasigan, Department of Energy.
However, Marasigan clarified that the typhoon did not cause any problem in the power plants themselves; rather, most of the damage occurred in the transmission lines delivering electricity to facilities and substations.
Nevertheless, the Ilijan Power Plant in Batangas City is reported to be back in operation and is expected to restore 1,200 MW from its floating storage unit.
Furthermore, Marasigan stated that the 455-MW San Buenaventura Power Plant in Quezon Province is also back in service.
Meanwhile, the units of the Pagbilao Power Station in Quezon are expected to be back in its operation on Wednesday.
“DOE However, even with these lines restored, we still have a red alert declaration to gauge how high our demand will go,” Marasigan added.
On the other hand, the DOE continues to urge public to conserve energy and use electricity wisely.
“When it comes to electricity usage, let’s ensure that our appliances are clean; and if not in use, especially for long periods, unplug them from the outlet – because all our appliances that use a remote control have what is called phantom power, where they still consume electricity even when not in use,” Marasigan stressed.
