El Niño could worsen Mindanao power situation – DOE

The power shortage in parts of Mindanao may get worse with drier conditions that an expected onset of the El Niño phenomenon will bring.

"Every summer, ang Mindanao, hindi mo talaga maaasahan ang hydro (power)... It will just get worse if there is a declared El Niño," Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said in a report on "Saksi" aired Thursday night.



With Mindanao relying on hydroelectric plants for its energy needs, some towns and cities have already had to bear with rotating brownouts that last for hours.

In Kidapawan City, some residents held a protest saying the extended power interruptions are affecting their businesses.

"we are experiencing 10 to 16 hours of brownouts," Rolly Sacdalan of People Power Laban sa Brownout said in the report.

Zamboanga City has meanwhile been experiencing 10-hour outages while power went out for four hours in Davao City on Wednesday night.

"We're hoping (that) by next summer, nandiyan na ang coal-fired plants natin sa Mindanao," Petilla said in the report. — JDS/GMA News