Brownout hits Dept of Energy press conference on power supply

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

The Manila Electric Company says the ironic twist of a brownout marring the presser of the energy secretary was caused by a blown fuse

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Energy (DOE) was hit by a power outage on Thursday, May 15, during a press conference where it was talking about the country’s power supply and rates.

Energy officials were answering reporters’ questions on the grid’s ability to keep up with rising electricity demand when the blackout hit the building.

Electricity was eventually restored 10 minutes later.

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the outage as an “isolated incident” which only affected Building 5 of the Philippine National Oil Company.

He also told reporters in jest that the building’s electrical infrastructure may have been unable to handle the electrical needs of equipment of journalists.

“I think this particular room… the power demand surge from all of your equipment. So we will take that into account for next time,” the energy secretary said, trying to lighten up the mood in the venue now without electricity.

In a statement, the Manila Electric Company blamed the ironic turn of events to a blown fuse in the building.

“(There) appears to be a problem with (the) load side facility, as our crews found a blown fuse at the building,” the power distributor said.

When asked if power rates can still drop during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s term, Lotilla noted that several factors such as coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices could impact the timeline.

“If the peso strengthens, if the price of LNG and imported fuels and coal go down further then we can bring this down further,” he explained.

The DOE earlier forecast power demand in Luzon to peak at 14,769 megawatts (MW) amid the hot weather. This is 5% higher than the peak demand logged in 2024 at 14,016 MW.

Meanwhile, peak demand may reach 3,111 MW in the Visayas and 2,789 MW in Mindanao. – Rappler.com