Blackout hits energy chief’s press briefing

MANILA, Philippines — A sudden power outage occurred in the middle of a press briefing at the Department of Energy led by DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla yesterday.

The blackout happened moments after DOE officials reaffirmed the stability of the country’s power supply amid projected demand surge.

Lotilla was speaking when the electricity went out.

It lasted nearly 10 minutes before a backup generator restored the electricity at the DOE building.

“The power interruption was an isolated case. The building could not handle the power demand surge,” Lotilla told reporters after the briefing.

Upon receiving the report, power distributor Manila Electric Co. quickly deployed Meralco line crews to restore power service.

“There appears to be a problem with the load-side facility. Our crews found a blown fuse in the building. Meralco assisted the DOE to identify the cause of the trouble and to restore the service at the soonest possible time,” Meralco said.

Prior to the DOE blackout, Electric Power Industry Management Bureau assistant director Luningning Baltazar said the Philippines has a stable power situation in terms of generation.

“So far, the projected peak demand has not been met yet, especially for Luzon and Mindanao,” she said.

Baltazar said no yellow and red alerts are expected in the coming weeks, given the available capacity across the three major island groups.

A yellow alert is issued when the operating margin is insufficient to meet the generation’s contingency requirement, putting the grid at risk with the available contingency reserve less than the required operating margin.

A red alert is raised when the power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the grid’s contingency requirement.

Blackout hits energy chief’s press briefing

Brix Lelis

MANILA, Philippines —= A sudden power outage occurred in the middle of a press briefing at the Department of Energy led by DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla yesterday.

The blackout happened moments after DOE officials reaffirmed the stability of the country’s power supply amid projected demand surge.

Lotilla was speaking when the electricity went out.

It lasted nearly 10 minutes before a backup generator restored the electricity at the DOE building.

“The power interruption was an isolated case. The building could not handle the power demand surge,” Lotilla told reporters after the briefing.

Upon receiving the report, power distributor Manila Electric Co. quickly deployed Meralco line crews to restore power service.

“There appears to be a problem with the load-side facility. Our crews found a blown fuse in the building. Meralco assisted the DOE to identify the cause of the trouble and to restore the service at the soonest possible time,” Meralco said.

Prior to the DOE blackout, Electric Power Industry Management Bureau assistant director Luningning Baltazar said the Philippines has a stable power situation in terms of generation.

“So far, the projected peak demand has not been met yet, especially for Luzon and Mindanao,” she said.

MANILA, Philippines — A sudden power outage occurred in the middle of a press briefing at the Department of Energy led by DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla yesterday.

The blackout happened moments after DOE officials reaffirmed the stability of the country’s power supply amid projected demand surge.

Lotilla was speaking when the electricity went out.

It lasted nearly 10 minutes before a backup generator restored the electricity at the DOE building.

“The power interruption was an isolated case. The building could not handle the power demand surge,” Lotilla told reporters after the briefing.

Upon receiving the report, power distributor Manila Electric Co. quickly deployed Meralco line crews to restore power service.

“There appears to be a problem with the load-side facility. Our crews found a blown fuse in the building. Meralco assisted the DOE to identify the cause of the trouble and to restore the service at the soonest possible time,” Meralco said.

Prior to the DOE blackout, Electric Power Industry Management Bureau assistant director Luningning Baltazar said the Philippines has a stable power situation in terms of generation.

“So far, the projected peak demand has not been met yet, especially for Luzon and Mindanao,” she said.

Baltazar said no yellow and red alerts are expected in the coming weeks, given the available capacity across the three major island groups.

A yellow alert is issued when the operating margin is insufficient to meet the generation’s contingency requirement, putting the grid at risk with the available contingency reserve less than the required operating margin.

A red alert is raised when the power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the grid’s contingency requirement.