Senator Win Gatchalian urged the Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure compliance of generation companies with preventive maintenance schedules to deter disruption of power supply ahead of the expected surge in demand during the summer months.

“It is critical that generation companies strictly follow maintenance schedules to ensure the reliability of power supply and prevent costly downtimes,” said Gatchalian, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Energy, amid expectations of potential red or yellow alerts during the summer months.

Gatchalian made the statement after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines warned that unplanned plant outages could threaten power supply during the summer months. The senator emphasized that, to prevent such outages, generation companies should conduct regular maintenance to address potential problems and maximize power generation output.

“Ang kawalan ng kuryente, lalo na tuwing tag-init, ay nagdudulot ng malawakang epekto sa mga pamilya, negosyo, at buong komunidad,” said Gatchalian.

He also said that the DOE should increase information, education, and communication on energy efficiency and conservation among consumers. The senator emphasized such campaigns should focus on reducing overall energy consumption, particularly in high-demand areas like Metro Manila. He pointed out that the implementation of efficiency and conservation measures is expected to significantly reduce energy consumption, help ensure sufficiency of supply, and generate savings for consumers.