MANILA -- The government should work aggressively to address the country’s short-term and long-term energy requirements, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday following a meeting with energy officials.

In a media interview while enroute to Cambodia to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, President Marcos said constructing a new powerplant takes some time and the country has to start doing something now.

“It just takes so long. So if we don’t start now, then it will just get delayed. But so far, if we can clear up some issues with the NGCP (National Grid Corporation of the Philippines), they’re all right for supply in the next few months until the summer,” Marcos told reporters.

The President expressed hope that the government could secure the transmission lines this summer to utilize surplus electricity as well as idle or disconnected power plants.

Another issue is fuel cost, he pointed out, with high gas prices making it impractical to run power plants.

According to Marcos, the government has to find ways to ensure that the country has enough power at least in the short term.

“In the long term, talagang kulang talaga tayo. So we’ll have to do that. Also, we spent a long time talking about how to bring down the prices,” the chief executive said.

Energy distribution was also discussed to rationalize power supply, Marcos said, noting the current thrust is to go to local cooperatives to show them how to get the lowest electricity price and sell them at the cheapest price possible.

The President has earlier given the Department of Energy (DOE) the greenlight to explore and develop the country’s offshore wind (OSW) potential as a source of clean and sustainable energy.

The chief executive instructed DOE Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla and other energy officials to move forward with the agency’s offshore wind energy production initiatives. (PND)