‘Probe worsening power outages in Visayas’

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Deputy Speaker Alfredo Benitez has asked the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry into the “continuing and worsening power outages” affecting the Visayas grid. Benitez cited the repeated yellow and red alerts as well as concerns raised over the reliability and adequacy of the region’s electricity supply.

In his resolution, Benitez directed the House committee on Visayas development to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the causes of the persistent power shortages and to identify long-term measures to ensure a stable, adequate, reliable and reasonably priced power supply.

The Bacolod congressman noted data showing that as of Sept. 3, the Visayas grid had recorded 93 yellow alerts and 30 red alerts since the beginning of the year.

The resolution said prolonged outages have caused economic losses for businesses, disrupted classes and other learning activities, endangered patients dependent on electricity-powered medical equipment and threatened investor confidence in the Visayas as a center of trade, tourism and industry.

DOE sees improvement

The Department of Energy expects six large coal-fired generating units to come back online this month and in early October to help stabilize power supply in Visayas and Mindanao.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said two coal plants that could produce 251 megawatts of power are scheduled to return by next week, while another 150-MW plant would resume operations by Oct. 3.

“The most expensive electricity is no electricity at all. The Visayas power situation is unacceptable, and we are treating it with utmost urgency,” Garin said at a press conference yesterday.

Multiple power plants have gone offline at the same time in the Visayas, triggering recurring grid alerts since May and resulting in rotational outages in several areas.

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the region under red alert from 1 to 8 p.m. yesterday, as more than 900 MW of capacity was unavailable.

Garin said efforts are underway to deploy 253 MW of battery storage across Cebu, Panay, Leyte and Negros, with some facilities already prepared to provide immediate support to the Visayas.

“When a power plant suddenly trips or supply becomes tight, battery storage can respond very quickly and provide support while the system adjusts,” Garin said.

“We cannot afford further delay. The Visayas (grid) needs stable power now. We need these power plants to come back online as fast as possible,” she added.