AS the weather temperature gets higher, the Davao Light and Power Company (Davao Light), a subsidiary of AboitizPower, said they expect higher demand and consumption of electricity from their clients in the coming months.

“We’re seeing the summer months as high-consuming months because of the temperature. Ang demand went up talaga. March went up by ten percent versus in the month of February,” Davao Light president and chief operating officer Rodger Velasco said on March 29 during a media forum.

Despite this, Davao Light assured that the weather has no significant effect on the supply and they can provide enough power for the needs of their clients.

At the same time, Velasco said the possible El Niño event that may occur later in the year, will have no significant effect on the power supply of Mindanao.

Although hydropower may be affected by the dry season, alternative sources are still available such as coal and diesel. Velasco said the Mindanao grid still has 1,000 megawatts oversupply.

“We have more than enough for Mindanao. If you are wary about supply, we are not. Normal operations with all the plans, we have certainly enough supply for the summer months,” the Davao Light executive said.

As per the heat index of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the temperature in Davao City on Thursday, March 29 was 39 degrees Celsius.

Pagasa forecasts 29 to 42 degrees Celsius for the next five days in Davao. The hottest could occur on Saturday, April 1 at 42 degrees Celsius.

According to Pagasa, temperature ranging from 42 to 51 degrees Celsius is categorized as a “danger” level. If the temperature exceeds 51 degrees Celsius, it is considered “extreme danger.”

Temperatures from 33 to 41 degrees Celsius and 27 to 32 degrees Celsius are categorized as “extreme caution” and “caution” levels respectively. Temperatures lower than 27 degrees Celsius are deemed not hazardous. ICM