Power Watch Negros Advocates (PWNA), in behalf of the electric consumers of Negros, Panay and Guimaras, manifested its indignation against the National Grid Corporation (NGCP) for the massive blackouts that hit Western Visayas on January 2, and is calling on Congress to conduct an inquiry and hold the culprits accountable.
The NGCP as the franchise operator of the grid should be the center of investigation, Wennie Sancho, PWNA secretary general, said on Wednesday, January 10.
“Accountability lies with the NGCP. They are tasked with grid stability. Stability involves proactive responses to breakdowns and unexpected events, a duty that NGCP has not fulfilled adequately. NGCP cannot absolve itself from its responsibility, it is the main actor in operating, maintaining and developing the country’s state-owned grid,” he said.
Sancho said because of the widespread damage caused by the blackouts those responsible should be meted out with appropriate punishment under the law. “We are urging Congress to use their authority to address the massive blackout which is impeding the economic growth and development in our region,” he said.
“We call for a review of power utilities compliance with their franchise mandates and to update the stakeholders on the Visayas grid status, synchronizing protection relays and ensuring grid stability,” he said.
PWNA also urges NGCP to enhance grid stability that maximizes and integrates energy into the power mix. A smart grid would allow the transmission system to respond to the demand shifts accordingly, he said.
Through the smart grid the load has the potential to quickly offset large power losses and the regulation would be easier to implement, he said.
NGCP should also strictly implement the maximum allowable outages per year, starting with imposing fines and/ or revoking Certificate of Compliance of power plants that have been undergoing protracted and recurring unplanned outages, Sancho said.
NGCP should fulfill its obligation to secure mandated reserves, which should serve as a stop-gap measure during power plant outages, he said.
NGCP should also accelerate grid interconnection and other transmission projects to enable transmission of overcapacity from other islands, amidst the failure of generation plants and accelerate grid capacity improvement and modernization to maximize the integration of renewable energy peaking capacity in the grid, he added.
“The lack of empathy on the part of NGCP, towards those affected by the massive blackout, only shows its ineptitude and apathy on the plight of the electric consumers. We must hold NGCP accountable on this incident,” Sancho said.
The power crisis in Western Visayas is a wake-up call for NGCP and the energy sector to build an infrastructure that can withstand future challenges, hence the call for a congressional inquiry, he said.*