Manila: The Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it does not foresee any power supply alerts for the Mindanao grid during the upcoming elections on May 12, attributing this stability to the absence of an El Ni±o forecast this year.

According to Philippines News Agency, DOE supervising science research specialist Mark Christian Marollano shared insights during the 'Power:101: Energy Security' forum. He emphasized that the expectation of stable power is based on Mindanao's current low power demand. The absence of a yellow or red alert system indicates that the grid's contingency reserve is sufficient, and there will be no need for manual load shedding or rotating interruptions.

Marollano further assured the public that the DOE is committed to ensuring a reliable power supply throughout the election period. To this end, the department will closely monitor the power situation seven days before and after the elections to prevent any potential brownouts.

In addition, Marollano stated that all scheduled maintenance activities would be temporarily suspended within this period to maintain an uninterrupted power supply. This includes postponing maintenance on both the transmission and distribution sides of the grid.

To further safeguard against interruptions, the DOE is coordinating with utilities to inspect infrastructure and polling centers designated by the Commission on Elections. This proactive measure aims to identify and rectify any potential electrical issues that could disrupt the voting and counting processes.