ILP draws in more participants

MANILA, Philippines - A scheme that would help avert power outages this summer continues to attract more participants.

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s biggest power distributor, said to date, around 745 megawatts in committed capacity under the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) will be ready to provide power this summer.

“We now have around 745 MW of interruptible load in the program. Of note is the enrollment of the House of Representatives, with 1.7 MW of interruptible load. The House is the first government building to join the ILP. Also, the update includes three locators from PEZA’s Cavite Economic Zone with a cumulative addition of 7.5 MW,” said Lawrence Fernandez, head of Meralco’s utility economics.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla, for his part, urged other large energy users with self-generating capacity to sign up for the program.

At the same time, he urged consumers to practice energy efficient measures.

Petilla said there are 173 Retail electricity suppliers association (RESA) committed participants or those that can supply electricity, with a de-loading capacity of 460.85 MW.

Highlighting the role of the House of Representativea in being part of the solution to the power challenges, Petilla attended the ILP signing ceremony of the 1.7 MW worth of participation of the House on Jan. 27, 2015 and the ceremonial signing of ILP agreements with 92 contestable customers on Jan. 30, 2015.

With the ongoing progress of the ILP, the DOE is set to ramp up the importance of energy efficiency and conservation to address the short and long term power requirements of the country, Petilla said.

Under the ILP, big power users would be asked to use their own generators to ease demand from the grid.

There is a projected power shortage of at least 700 MW in the Luzon grid this summer due to higher demand during the hot months and insufficient supply on the back of the one-month maintenance shutdown of the Malampaya natural gas facility which provides 40 percent of the Luzon grid’s requirement.