Senator Win Gatchalian sounded the alarm over the possibility of the government entering into a midnight deal to extend the service contract of the Malampaya project with the gas field operator Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEX) finalizing the transfer of its participating interest to Udenna Corp.’s subsidiary Malampaya Energy XP Pte Ltd.

Senator Win Gatchalian expresses support for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) move in advancing the promotion and enhancement of the development of Waste-To-Energy (WTE) facilities in the country.

With a year left in the government’s self-imposed deadline to achieve total electrification of all households in the country, Senator Win Gatchalian said there’s still hope that it can still be realized once the bill which promotes the use of microgrid systems as a means to supply electric power in the rural areas is set in place.

Despite pronouncements that there will be no brownouts during the week of the May 2022 elections, Senator Win Gatchalian wants the Senate to conduct an inquiry on the plans and preparations of the Department of Energy (DOE) and other stakeholders to ensure the uninterrupted electricity supply.

Senator Win Gatchalian assailed energy officials’ apparent indifference in arresting any possibility of rotational brownouts during the election period next year, when the country’s estimated 60 million voters will exercise their right to choose their leaders in the national and local levels.

With less than two months before the scheduled 20-day Malampaya shutdown, Senator Win Gatchalian urged energy officials to ensure that there will be no power outages when the deep-water gas-to-power project goes on maintenance shutdown in October.

Senator Win Gatchalian urged the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to direct other distribution utilities (DUs) to replicate the move taken by Meralco which decided to suspend all disconnection activities within its franchise area that are placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and Modified Community Quarantine.

Finally, the country can soon boast of a cohesive all-in-one institution that will focus on technical know-how and enable the Philippines to keep up with technological innovations and energy and policy research, Senator Win Gatchalian said.

After 18 years and seven Congresses, the bill seeking to regulate the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry to ensure consumer welfare against illegally refilled and poor quality cylinders will finally be enacted into law.