MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III expressed
optimism on Monday that Congress will grant him emergency powers sooner to
avert a looming energy shortage next year.
Speaking at the inauguration of SM City North EDSA's solar-powered
rooftop, Aquino again warned that Luzon might experience a shortage of 330
megawatts to 1,000 megawatts next summer if the government does not adjust
accordingly.
Aquino recognized the House of Representatives Committee on
Energy's recent approval of the joint resolution authorizing him and the
national government to contract additional generating capacity as mandated by
the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) to deal with the projected power
shortage.
"We are hopeful that both the House and the Senate will
approve the joint resolution we requested sooner rather than later in order to
give the national government enough time to contract the necessary
reserves," Aquino said in his televised speech.
"This is not a challenge the national government can overcome
alone, which is why we are all working with all sectors to address this
issue," he said.
Aquino reiterated that the government's long term goal is to
ensure reliable, clean and reasonably priced power supply for the country.
"We are on our way towards achieving that goal," he
said.
From 2014 to 2018, an additional 5,098 megawatts are expected to
come online nationwide, Aquino revealed.
Post a Comment