DOE: Visayas power woes to persist for 1-2 years

National

THE Department of Energy (DOE) has warned that the Visayas power grid faces a prolonged period of supply instability that could last for the next one to two years as infrastructure projects struggle to keep pace with rising demand.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin emphasized that the region’s thin reserves have been frequently tested by recent red and yellow alerts, a report by Philstar stated.

"On the Visayas side, this will be a prolonged problem," Garin stated, noting that the agency is now moving to secure temporary supply to bridge the gap.

The DOE explained that the supply strain is largely due to the difficulty of synchronizing the completion of new power plants and transmission lines, which often takes three to five years to finalize.

To prevent further shortages while these projects are in the pipeline, the agency is prioritizing stopgap measures.

"That is why we will bring in temporary energy supply so that for the next year or two, the Visayas will have reserves," Garin said.

Meanwhile, Energy Undersecretary Mario Marasigan identified the Visayas as the department's main priority, noting that while demand can reach over 2,700 MW during peak hours, supply has dropped as low as 2,044 MW. This leads to 17 yellow alerts and four red alerts between May 12 and June 1.

The current strain is worsened by the unavailability of major facilities, specifically Therma Visayas Units 1 and 2, Panay Energy Development Corp. Unit 3, and Kepco-Salcon Power Corp. Unit 2.

While Kepco Unit 2 is expected back on June 2 and PEDC Unit 3 by July 3, Therma Visayas units are not expected to return until late August.

Need for reliable reserves

Secretary Garin noted that while the Visayas leads the country with a 45% renewable energy share, the grid lacks the "firm" power needed to compensate for weather-dependent sources.

"That is good news, but it also has to have more support from steady sources, because when it is raining there is no solar, and when there is no wind there is no wind power," Garin said.

"What the Visayas needs more of is what we call mid-merit and baseload energy," she added.

To stabilize the grid, the DOE is considering the use of power barges, diesel units, modular gensets, and battery energy storage systems, aiming to secure at least 150 MW of additional capacity.

Marasigan confirmed that the agency has already reached out to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines regarding potential direct negotiations for ancillary services.

The DOE’s warning underscores that while temporary fixes are being fast-tracked, the long-term reliability of the Visayas grid will rely on the successful integration of more firm power, storage, and transmission capacity.(April Jane Cabalida, CNU Comm Intern)