MARCOS: SUBMARINE CABLE TO FIX MINDORO POWER SUPPLY WOES

THE government is looking at connecting Mindoro’s two provinces to the grid through a submarine cable as a long-term solution to their electricity supply concerns, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said.

The President made the remarks when asked in a media interview in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro about the fastest and best solution to the power woes in Oriental and Occidental, Mindoro.

The fastest solution is through solar power, which could be complemented by other power sources such as wind, hydro, and geothermal, Marcos said, noting all possible sources of energy are being studied by the government in addition to strengthening the system.

“Pero ang sa Mindoro both Oriental and Occidental, ang long-term solution is ‘yung submarine cable para makabit na sa grid. Dahil ‘yun ang problema dito. Hindi pa nakakabit sa grid,” the President said.

“So, naglalagay na tayo ng submarine cable para dito specifically sa Mindoro para ‘yung mga ibang lugar naman na sobra ang kanilang capacity, hindi nagagamit, sayang. So, ‘yun ang pwede nating paglipat-lipat kung saan ang pangangailangan,” he pointed out.

Asked about the possibility of the Mindoro provinces exiting the power supply agreement with the power generator, Marcos said the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is currently negotiating for electricity pricing for the two provinces. Once it’s done, the government may consider subsidizing energy in the province, he added.

“‘Pag natapos ‘yun, then special case naman kasi talaga ang Mindoro sa power – kaya’t pagka natapos ‘yun malaman na namin kung paano ‘yung puwedeng gawin dito baka makapagbigay ng subsidy – baka makapag-approve ng subsidy para sa Mindoro provinces,” he said.

As to the power outages in Occidental Mindoro, the President said there’s enough electricity supply for the province. He said the government is working to address tripping at power plants and substations to prevent power interruptions.

The President admitted the occurrence of technical problems, ruling out sabotage in the province’s power outages.

“Talagang, mabigat lang talaga ‘yung load. Hindi kinaya. Talagang nagkaroon ng technical problem. May piyesa dun na hindi napalitan kaya ‘yun ang ginagawa natin ngayon, binabalik nang dahan-dahan,” President Marcos said.

“So far naman, ‘yung mga iba nag-power outage, pero pagkanaayos natin ‘yung mga nag-trip na power plant at saka mga substation, eh babalik naman tayo sa dati,” he stated.