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MEDIA RELEASE
07 September 2026
DOE Intensifies Visayas Power Response, Pushes Faster Restoration and Additional Battery Capacity
The Department of Energy (DOE) is implementing immediate measures to stabilize the Visayas grid following rotational power outages, with generating units being brought back online, additional battery storage being readied, transmission constraints being addressed, and generation companies and the grid operator being held accountable for recurring reliability issues.
Several generating units have gone offline at the same time, reducing the reserves needed by the grid to respond when another generating facility unexpectedly becomes unavailable.
As part of immediate restoration efforts, Cebu Energy Development Corporation (CEDC) Unit 1 in Cebu, with 82 megawatts (MW), returned to service on 05 September. Therma Visayas Unit 1, with 169 MW, is scheduled to return by 15 September, while Panay Energy Development Corporation (PEDC) Unit 3, with 150 MW, is targeted to return by 03 October.
The DOE is also closely coordinating the return of generating units in Mindanao that can support the Visayas through the interconnected grid. Therma South Inc (TSI) Unit 2 in Davao, with 150 MW, is scheduled to return by 08 September, followed by TSI Unit 1, also with 150 MW, by 19 September and GN Power Kauswagan (GNPK) Unit 2 in Lanao del Norte, with 103 MW, by 20 September.
At the same time, the DOE has been working with power companies 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 grid. Battery storage will provide fast-response support when a generating unit suddenly trips or electricity supply becomes tight, helping stabilize the grid while the system adjusts.
To ensure that this backup capacity is available when needed, the DOE has directed the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to execute the outstanding ancillary services contracts required by the Visayas grid, including battery capacity. The DOE had already issued a Show Cause Order in August over delays in carrying out these directives.
Beyond restoring available capacity, the DOE is strengthening its review of generating facilities with recurring forced outages to determine the causes of repeated plant failures and whether generating facilities have been properly maintained.
DOE Field Offices have been deployed on the ground to inspect and thoroughly investigate affected power plants. Building on the DOE circular on Generation Company Accountability issued in February, the Department is also auditing compliance with maintenance schedules and will require Corrective Action Plans where necessary, issue Show Cause Orders where warranted, and pursue sanctions when violations are established.
“Kapag paulit-ulit nasisira ang isang planta, hindi puwedeng paulit-ulit din ang sagot na ‘nag-trip po.’ We need to know why it happened, and we need the underlying problem corrected,” Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin said.
The DOE is likewise assessing transmission constraints across the Visayas, including the LeyteSamar corridor, to identify what can be addressed immediately and what infrastructure needs to be strengthened. Interim solutions, including power barges and generator sets, are also being put in place to provide additional electricity where needed.
Over the longer term, additional dependable and renewable energy capacity is expected for CebuBohol and Panay-Negros beginning in 2028.
For Cebu-Bohol, this includes 150 MW of new baseload capacity in 2028 and 107 MW in 2029, together with 470 MW of additional renewable energy capacity in 2028 and another 60 MW in 2029.
For Panay-Negros, the pipeline includes 135 MW of baseload capacity in 2028, 270 MW in 2029, 150 MW in 2030, and 135 MW in 2031. Another 100 MW of renewable energy is expected in 2028 and 270 MW in 2029.
“The forecasts, investments, and additional capacity we need today should have been planned and put in place years ago. What we can do now is act with urgency: stabilize the Visayas grid, strengthen long-overdue oversight and accountability of our power plants and grid operator, and move the projects already in the pipeline,” Secretary Garin said.
The DOE is also advancing work on the long-term power requirements of Mindoro and Palawan, with efforts focused on putting in place the generation and transmission infrastructure needed to support their growing electricity requirements.
For Mindoro, the DOE is accelerating the remaining legal, financial, regulatory, and procurement requirements for the One Mindoro Power Grid Development, targeted for completion by 2027.
Following an alignment meeting on 01 September with the Maharlika Investment Corporation, National Electrification Administration, National Power Corporation, and National Transmission Corporation, the concerned agencies are working against specific timelines to finalize the agreements, funding arrangements, and other requirements needed to move the project forward.
For Palawan, the DOE will convene the Provincial Government, local governments, legislators, national agencies, and power-sector stakeholders on 25 September to present the draft Mainland Palawan Energy Masterplan.
The masterplan covers renewable energy opportunities, the proposed 69-kV transmission project, and priority infrastructure needed to support Palawan’s growing energy requirements.
The initiatives in Mindoro and Palawan are intended to move power planning away from repeatedly responding to supply and infrastructure constraints as they arise and toward a more deliberate approach to meeting the long-term electricity requirements of island communities.
“Ang prayoridad ng DOE: sapat at maaasahang kuryente para sa Visayas. We are working to stabilize the situation as fast as possible, and we expect every power plant and every part of the grid to do its part,” Secretary Garin said.