Philippines energy report highlights Visayas power shortage and Mindanao surplus

The Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) has acknowledged a lack of sufficient baseload power in the Visayas region to meet rising electricity demand. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin stated that while areas like Negros produce excess solar power during the day, the output drops during evening peak hours, leaving the region vulnerable to grid alerts whenever major plants go offline.

Garin warned that the supply gap and the rapid growth of demand in Cebu could lead to continued power alerts until at least 2028, as new generation projects take time to come online. The region's dependence on interconnections means outages in one area, such as Panay, could immediately impact others like Negros.

In contrast, Mindanao has transitioned from power shortages to a surplus of approximately 300 megawatts. To ensure this stability supports future economic growth, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and Therma South, Inc. (TSI) have launched ‘PowerForward Mindanao.’ This initiative aims to coordinate between government and the private sector to manage long-term energy resilience and sustainability.