DOE: El Niño may hike power rates, outages

MANILA, Philippines — The country may suffer from higher electricity rates and more power outages as the super El Niño threatens to strain the energy system and trigger a surge in consumption, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said on Tuesday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) earlier said that due to the effects of the weather phenomenon, a state of calamity has been declared in 106 cities and municipalities in the country, with 388,000 people affected.

Even without El Niño, Filipinos are already airing their frustrations over elevated power costs, triggered by surging oil prices following renewed tensions in the Middle East.

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The very dry conditions caused by the weather pattern, however, is also seen to bring up demand for electricity.

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READ: El Niño places 106 areas under state of calamity, affects over 300,000

“It’s possible because demand-supply relationship always has an effect on the market,” Garin told reporters on the sidelines of the Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting in Pasay City.

But she assured the public the Department of Energy (DOE) has been in close coordination with the Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure that those selling electricity in the spot market—where power is traded between producers and distributors to boost supply—do not take advantage of the situation.

READ: EXPLAINER: Dry spell vs. drought — and how El Niño raises the risk

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El Niño refers to the abnormal warming of Pacific Ocean surface temperatures, a phenomenon often linked to extreme climate conditions such as drought, erratic rainfall and stronger heat waves.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration had said it expects El Niño to peak toward the end of 2026 and persist until early next year.

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The Department of Science and Technology also warned that all provinces would experience drought by March 2027.

Impact on supply

Pressed on the possibility of more power outages, Garin admitted that El Niño would have an impact on supply.

“I don’t want to be a doomsayer, but I just want to be very transparent about this. When it’s very hot, our rivers are dry, so that’s hydro already. Our coal power plants, not only are we over-extending their production, but also the heat affects their efficiency,” she said.

“Of course, solar, even if you think that solar automatically produces more when it’s hotter—if it’s too hot, then there is also a negative impact on that,” Garin added.

According to her, the DOE is already preparing to tap other options to help boost power supply although she urged the public to practice conserving energy.

“This is one way we can help: turning off our lights, pulling the plugs for appliances that we don’t need, and that would help us achieve at least 10 to 20 percent reduction in our demand,” Garin said.

On Monday, the NDRRMC said a state of calamity had been declared in the following areas because of El Niño: 66 areas in Cagayan, 23 in Caraga, 12 in Bicol, four in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), and one in Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City).

A total of 388,375 individuals or 104,149 families have so far been affected, mostly in Cagayan (47,587 individuals), followed by Caraga (45,507 individuals), Bicol (11,055 individuals), and Calabarzon (191 individuals).

The NDRRMC said that over P39 million in assistance has been provided to 24,618 of the 35,893 families in need.

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The Department of Agriculture said on Sept. 26 that El Niño has already affected 223,214 farmers in 14 regions nationwide, with damage in the agriculture sector already reaching P6.87 billion. /cb