Stormy Months and Energy Infrastructure

The ongoing southwest monsoon or habagat is one of the worst monsoon rains that I can remember in recent years.

- Bienvenido S. Oplas Jr.

The cloudy and showery days started last Thursday, July 17, with strong rains that led to cancellation of classes a day after, or on July 18. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) projection as of Wednesday shows they foresee a "yellow" alert for rains, 50-100 mm, until at least tomorrow, July 25. So at least nine days of dark sky and non-windy weather.

Luckily for us, the various energy players and agencies are doing the necessary preparations and precautions to save us from blackouts.

Meralco has been regularly issuing daily updates like the "Update on power restoration efforts in habagat-hit areas."

Meralco vice president and head of corporate communications Joe Zaldarriaga announced recently that "As we continue to closely monitor the weather situation given the entry of Tropical Depression Dante, we assure our customers that we will not stop until service is safely restored to all affected customers. Meralco also deployed high-bed trucks and motorized fiberglass boats to help in power restoration and aid in rescue efforts."

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, the operator of our nationwide transmission system, also regularly issues updates about the status of transmission facilities; that they are "under normal conditions," that they are ready to activate the 24/7 operations of their Overall Command Center (OCmC).