MANILA — With the forthcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) assures the public of the availability of sufficient power supply across the country before, during, and after the elections.

Measures are also in place to prevent any unscheduled power outages that may

disrupt the voting, as well as the counting process.

While there are two potential yellow alerts in Luzon for this week and the week of the elections, the DOE Energy Task Force Election has been instructed early on to

coordinate with the generating companies and the National Grid Corporation of the

Philippines (NGCP) to ensure the availability of generating units to meet the demand and required reserves during the said period.

Suspension of preventive maintenance and testing of generating units one week before and after the elections will be strictly enforced.

The demand forecast in Luzon for the week of elections is at 12,257 MW. However, the current demand is only 10,500 MW to 11,500 MW, where electricity consumption during the fourth quarter period is generally lower.

“With this, we have a buffer of at least 700 MW,” the DOE said.

The DOE Task Force has also coordinated closely with the generation companies and the NGCP to facilitate the timely completion and seamless entry of power projects, as well as critical transmission line projects, should there be any.

The NGCP was likewise directed to utilize the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) and the Mindanao Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) during peak hours to balance the power supply and demand system of the grid.

Both the Visayas and Mindanao grids, meanwhile, are not expected to experience any alerts.

“Safeguarding the energy needs of the country during the critical electoral process is our foremost concern and we have enlisted the full cooperation of all our stakeholders in the generation, transmission, and distribution sectors in this endeavor. Preparations have been undertaken to ensure that there will be enough power in days leading up to, during, and in the immediate conduct of the elections” Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla said.

Meanwhile, the DOE Energy Task Force Election has also instructed distribution utilities (DUs) to deploy special and emergency line crews to check lines for any obstructions and to ensure that all necessary and correct connections are installed within their franchise areas.