The Department of Energy (DOE) is considering at least four facilities, including power barges, modular generator sets and battery energy storage systems (BESS), to help address the persistent capacity shortfall in the Visayas grid.
The move comes as rising electricity demand continues to outpace available supply, largely due to the forced outages of several generating units at major coal-fired power plants, including Units 1 and 2 of Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI), Unit 3 of Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC), and Unit 2 of Kepco SPC Power Corp. (KSPC).
Since May 12, the Visayas grid has experienced 17 yellow alerts and four red alerts due to insufficient operating reserves and generating capacity to meet contingency requirements.
“We have already confirmed that there will be an incoming 30-megawatt battery storage system in Mactan, Cebu. This is already undergoing commissioning while we are still negotiating for the installation of at least 20-megawatt modular diesel genset,” DOE Undersecretary Mario Marasigan said during an online briefing on Monday.
Marasigan said the DOE has informed the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) that it may proceed with direct negotiations for ancillary services to help address the Visayas grid’s capacity issues.
He added that two renewable energy (RE) projects with a combined capacity of about 68.99 MW are expected to come online in the coming weeks.
According to Marasigan, at least 150 MW of additional capacity is needed to stabilize the Visayas grid while several generating units undergo repairs.
He said KSPC’s affected generating unit is expected to return to service by June 2, while PEDC’s Unit 3 is scheduled to resume operations by July 3. Meanwhile, TVI’s generating units are expected to be back online by Aug. 22 and Aug. 30.
For the Luzon grid, Marasigan said available capacity remains adequate despite reduced output from several hydropower plants. He noted that two major transmission facilities — the 500-kilovolt (kV) Ilijan-Tayabas and Ilijan-Dasmariñas extra-high-voltage power lines — have been fully restored and are currently being energized as part of the final stages of repair.
Meanwhile, the rotational power outages affecting Catanduanes are expected to be resolved “in the next 10 or 11 days,” Marasigan said.
He added that the DOE has coordinated with the NGCP, National Electrification Administration and the First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative to ensure adequate power supply for consumers in the province.
“We assure that Catanduanes will have their full supply in 10 days,” he said.*PNA
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