House to probe Visayas power outages

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Deputy Speaker Alfredo Benitez has urged the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry into the "continuing and worsening power outages" plaguing the Visayas grid. The proposed investigation aims to pinpoint the causes of the persistent power shortages and identify long-term measures to ensure a stable, adequate, reliable, and reasonably priced electricity supply. According to Congressman Benitez, as of September 3, the Visayas grid had recorded 93 yellow alerts and 30 red alerts since the beginning of the year. He highlighted that these frequent outages have led to economic losses for businesses, disrupted educational activities, endangered patients reliant on electricity-powered medical equipment, and diminished investor confidence in the Visayas region. The Department of Energy anticipates the return of six large coal-fired generating units this month and in early October to help stabilize power supply in the Visayas and Mindanao. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin announced that two coal plants, capable of producing 251 megawatts, are scheduled to come back online by next week, with an additional 150-MW plant resuming operations by October 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 stated. Multiple power plants simultaneously going offline have triggered recurring grid alerts in the Visayas since May, resulting in rotational outages in several areas. Yesterday, the region was placed under a red alert from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. due to an unavailability of over 900 MW of capacity. Secretary Garin also revealed ongoing efforts 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," she explained. "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."