Philippines to Deploy Power Barges, Battery Storage to Resolve Visayas, Mindanao Power Woes

The Department of Energy (DoE) is aiming to resolve the persistent grid alerts experienced in the Visayas and Mindanao regions before the end of the year, planning to deploy power barges and battery energy storage systems (BESS) as solutions. Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin stated on Thursday, “The barges will be coming in.” The Visayas grid has faced 30 red alerts and 93 yellow alerts this year, while the Mindanao grid has experienced 3 red alerts and 10 yellow alerts. These power shortages are attributed to the shutdown of several power plants and other plants operating at derated capacities. A red alert signifies that power supply is insufficient to meet demand, leading to power rationing and brownouts, whereas a yellow alert is declared when reserve power margins are thin. As a short-term measure, Ms. Garin mentioned that the DoE has requested the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) to approve the transmission of power stored in batteries. The department has also urged energy firms to bring in diesel-powered barges. “I’m just hoping that we can finish the battery project first, and then bring in the diesel plants as part of our solution so we can truly eliminate red alerts,” Ms. Garin said. She added that baseload power projects are slated to come online through 2030, which will significantly improve the energy situation in Visayas. While the supply issues may not be fully resolved within the month, the DoE is targeting to settle the grid alert issues before Christmas. “It’s not easy, but that’s the target,” she added. On Thursday, NGCP declared red and yellow alerts over the Visayas and Mindanao grids as peak demand outpaced available supply. The Visayas grid was under red alert from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., with yellow alerts from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. In Mindanao, a red alert was in effect from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., accompanied by yellow alerts from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. A total of 792 megawatts (MW) was unavailable to the Visayas grid, and 841.6 MW to the Mindanao grid, due to power plant shutdowns. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera