QUEZON CITY (PIA) — The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is working on measures to allow for staggered payment of electricity bills to ease the financial burden of Filipinos who are still recovering from the impact of Severe Tropical Storm (STS) Kristine (Trami).
In a statement on Wednesday, Oct. 30, Energy OIC and CEO Jesse Hermogenes Andres also appealed to all distribution utilities (DUs) to ease the burden of electricity costs in severely affected areas by allowing staggered collection of payments from October to December 2024.
“In consideration of the coming holiday season, DUs should observe a moratorium on the disconnection of electricity service for distressed consumers,” Andres said.
“In the meantime, the ERC calls on the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), privately-owned DUs, and electric cooperatives (ECs) in areas affected by STS Kristine to assess the damage and fast-track the restoration of electricity in typhoon-hit areas,” he added.
On Tuesday, Oct. 29, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. tasked the ERC to study the possible implementation of the temporary relief when it comes to the electricity bill payments in areas placed under state of calamity and that the possible moratorium on electricity line disconnections and payment collections may be from October to December.
Meanwhile, the ERC calls on the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), privately owned DUs, and Electric Cooperatives (ECs) in areas affected by STS Kristine to assess the damage and fast-track the restoration of electricity in typhoon-hit areas.
Power situation
On October 25, the ERC reported that four NGCP 69 kV lines were offline, impacting four electric cooperatives—the Pangasinan I Electric Cooperative (PANELCO I), Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CENPELCO), Camarines Sur III Electric Cooperative (CASURECO III), Batangas II Electric Cooperative (BATELEC II), and Batangas I Electric Cooperative (BATELEC I)—that were in total power interruption, while 45 electric cooperatives were experiencing partial power interruptions.
In terms of on-grid generation, the Calaca Power Plant has been on emergency shutdown since 24 October 2024, resulting in a derated capacity of 420 MW. The plant was expected to resume operations by Sunday, 27 October 2024.
In the Meralco franchise area, power outages have affected 419,012 customers, a significant reduction from over 580,000 affected earlier. The distributor said that it was working to complete restoration by Sunday, 27 October 2024, as flood conditions improve. (PIA DMD)
