power

Back in 1992, blackouts and power outages stole the spotlight of national elections in the Philippines. When Filipinos voted in 1986, the election was decided not by the rigged tallies, but by huge "people power" demonstrations that ultimately ousted the ostensible winner, Ferdinand E. But this weekend, as the painfully slow process of tabulating results in the latest presidential election enters its third week, the determining factor is not people power but electric power. From official sources such as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to independent analysts such as the Institute of Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), they provide this warning: blackouts and power outages are possible by Election Day. The optimistic estimate is to have a surplus of 2,600 megawatts (MW), similar to the available power capacity as of January 2022. However, ICSC argues that even a 1,300 MW surplus could easily be depleted when power plants fail to meet their expected dependable capacity. The Philippine energy mix: Is it powerful enough? As of 2020, the largest sources of power generation in the Philippines according to DOE are as follows: coal (58.2 percent), natural gas (19.5 percent), geothermal (10.8 percent), hydroelectric (7.2 percent), and oil (2.5 percent). Read more in our articles including "Explainer: What Happens If There Are Blackouts On Election Day?" and "Cherry Mobile intros Flare Power 10,000mAh power bank".