MAKABAYAN senatorial bet Teddy Casiño today hit the Department of Energy for blackmailing the people of Mindanao into accepting artificially high power rates in order to solve the power crisis.
Based on reports, power rates in Mindanao may shoot up by as much as P4 per kilowatt-hour should the electric cooperatives on the island agree to the proposed solution of the government for them to acquire their own diesel-fired generators.
“That is P400 more for those who consume 100 kWh per month, P800 for those who consume 200 kWh and so forth. Instead of food and education, consumers will be forced to allot more for electricity,” said Casiño.
“Blackmail na talaga ang nangyayari sa Mindanao. Ang sabi kasi ni Pangulong Aquino mula pa noong isang taon eh kung ayaw nyo ng black out e dapat itaas ang singil sa kuryente nyo,” he added.
“While we acknowledge the supply shortage, what is clear is that the problem was caused by government’s flawed policy of abandoning the power sector at the hands of private corporations. If only government had rehabilitated the Agus and Polangui power plants earlier and not wait for the plants to be privatized first, then Mindanao will not be in such a fix,” he said.
“It would simply be wrong for the government to force consumers to bear the cost of government neglect. It would be more logical for the government to follow the recommendations of the Mindanao Summit last year. Aside from immediately rehabilitating the hydropower plants in Mindanao, government should tap solar power and other renewable energy sources to augment existing supply,” Casiño said.
The three-term congressman explained that with government support and wider reach, renewable energy sources will soon be at par with traditional sources.
“Kung tataasan na rin naman ang presyo ng kuryente, mag renewable ka na lang. Malinis pa at mas sustainable in the long run. The Energy Secretary said it will raise their ‘solution’ will raise the cost of electricity in Mindanao from P6.20 to P10 per kilowatt hour, arguing that it is still lower than the P12 per kwh rate in the Metro Manila. But some renewable energy sources are capable of matching this rate,” he said.
Last year, the Energy Regulatory Commission approved the FIT rate of P9.68 per kWh for solar, P8.53 per kWh for wind, P6.63 per kWh for biomass, and P5.90 per kWh for hydropower projects. Although the original petition was P17.95 per kWh for solar, P10.37 per kWh for wind, P7 per kWh for biomass, and P6.15 per kWh for hydro resources, majority of them are below or around the P10 per kwh rate.
Casiño is the author of House Bill 5405 or the proposed One Million Solar Roofs Act which provides for incentives and financing facilities to encourage the use of solar energy by ordinary electricity consumers like residences, offices and small to medium business establishments.
“With government harnessing the solar resources of the country and providing for incentives for massive deployment of solar energy systems, the prospects of attaining energy independence from oil companies and significantly lowering electricity prices in the medium-term are realizable. Power crises then like in Mindanao would be a thing of the past,” ended Casiño.
Mindanao’s power demand is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.56 percent from 2011 to 2030. Demand is projected to exceed existing generation capacity by 2014 unless additional power generation capacity is installed.