Visayas power crisis: DOE admits no quick fix

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) has admitted that there is no immediate solution to the power supply shortage in the Visayas, which continues to trigger yellow and red alerts across the grid and cause rotational brownouts affecting businesses and consumers in the region.

DOE Secretary Sharon Garin said the power supply constraints in the Visayas grid are expected to persist, although temporary interventions are now being implemented amid what she described as a structural mismatch between power generation and transmission infrastructure development.

Speaking during a virtual press conference on Monday, June 1, Garin said the situation in the Visayas remains urgent due to recurring supply shortages.

“There is real urgency in the Visayas. That is why we are fast-tracking all necessary interventions,” Garin said, noting that immediate measures are being undertaken to stabilize supply, particularly in areas experiencing prolonged outages.

However, Garin acknowledged that resolving the Visayas power crisis will take time, explaining that the timelines for constructing power plants and expanding transmission infrastructure do not always align.

She said some generating facilities require three years to complete, while others take as long as five years, with transmission upgrades and grid integration often lagging behind, resulting in persistent supply gaps.

“Because of this, we will be deploying temporary energy supply solutions to ensure that there will be reserve capacity for the Visayas for the next one to two years,” Garin said.

She added that the DOE aims to integrate additional power capacity into the Visayas grid within the month, although long-term stability will still depend on sustained infrastructure expansion and coordinated planning.

“For the Visayas, the challenge is expected to be more prolonged due to the mismatch in timelines between power plant completion and transmission infrastructure development. Some power plants take five years to complete, while others take three years, so their schedules do not always align,” she added.

Garin also reported that the Visayas grid remains one of the most renewable energy-dependent regions in the country, with renewable sources accounting for about 45 percent of total supply, significantly higher than the national average of approximately 25 percent.

While she described the high renewable energy share as a positive development, Garin said it also presents challenges because solar and wind energy remain intermittent and heavily dependent on weather conditions.

She noted that renewable sources alone cannot reliably serve as baseload power during periods without sunlight or wind.

Because of this, the Visayas grid continues to rely heavily on stable baseload and mid-merit power plants to maintain system stability.

However, Garin admitted that the region currently has limited local baseload capacity and remains dependent on imported power from Luzon and Mindanao, where excess supply is available.

She said the DOE is fast-tracking the development of additional baseload and mid-merit generation projects in the Visayas, including long-term investments in gas, coal, and other conventional power plants.

These projects, however, require years to complete, with coal plants typically taking three to five years and gas-fired facilities requiring up to five years.

Garin explained that although several projects are already in the pipeline, full stabilization of the Visayas grid will still take time because many of the facilities remain under construction or in the early stages of development.

Some of the projects, she added, are expected to come online within the next few years, while others are scheduled for completion by 2028 and beyond.

In the meantime, the DOE is implementing short-term interventions to ensure grid reliability over the next one to two years.

These include temporary power supply solutions such as bunker barges, diesel modular generators, natural gas-fired barges, and battery energy storage systems.

The DOE targets around 70 megawatts from barges, 20 megawatts from diesel generator sets, 50 megawatts from gas-fired barges, and at least 20 megawatts from battery storage systems.

Garin emphasized that demand-side management also plays a critical role in addressing the crisis and encouraged consumers to actively participate in energy efficiency programs such as “Oras Natin sa Efficiency.”

She said simple conservation measures, including unplugging unused appliances and adjusting air-conditioning temperatures, can significantly reduce electricity consumption and help ease pressure on the grid.

As an example, Garin noted that unplugging high-consumption appliances such as water heaters could save households around P300 monthly, while increasing air-conditioning temperature settings from 18°C to 24°C could reduce electricity use by as much as 20 to 50 percent, depending on consumption patterns.

She reiterated that while long-term stability depends on the completion of new generation projects, short-term reliability will rely on a combination of temporary power solutions and sustained energy conservation efforts.

Supporting the assessment, DOE Undersecretary for Energy Policy and Power Industry Management Mario Marasigan said the Visayas grid remains under severe strain, with available supply still falling short of peak demand.

Marasigan reported that power demand in the Visayas reached more than 2,700 megawatts on Monday, while available supply dropped to as low as 2,044 megawatts, resulting in repeated grid alerts.

“Since May 12, we have already recorded 17 yellow alerts and four red alerts,” Marasigan said.

He identified the shutdown of several major power plants as a key factor behind the supply shortage, including Therma Visayas Units 1 and 2, Panay Energy Development Corporation Unit 3, and KEPCO Salcon Power Unit 2.

Marasigan said KEPCO Unit 2 is expected to return online on Tuesday, while Panay Unit 3 is projected to resume operations by July. However, Therma Visayas Units 1 and 2 are not expected to be restored until late August.

He explained that while the return of KEPCO Unit 2 will add 100 megawatts to the grid, it will still be insufficient to fully address the supply deficit.

To address the shortfall, the DOE is pursuing additional capacity through renewable energy projects totaling nearly 69 megawatts, along with interim measures such as battery energy storage systems, modular generator sets, and ancillary services.

Marasigan also confirmed the commissioning of a 30-megawatt battery energy storage system in Mactan, Cebu, which is currently undergoing testing and commissioning.

At the same time, the DOE is negotiating for at least 20 megawatts of modular diesel generator sets.

He added that the DOE has formally requested the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to proceed with direct negotiations for ancillary services due to repeated grid alerts and the urgent need to secure additional reserves.

“We estimate a need for at least 150 megawatts of additional capacity to stabilize the Visayas grid,” Marasigan said, adding that NGCP has already been directed to take action.

Despite ongoing immediate relief measures, Marasigan stressed that the Visayas power crisis will ultimately require long-term solutions due to delays in synchronizing generation projects with transmission infrastructure expansion. — (FREEMAN)