DOE: Power grid faces month-long restoration after 'Uwan' hit
Published Nov 11, 2025 04:21 pm
The Department of Energy (DOE) is coordinating closely with power agencies to restore electricity to areas hit by Typhoon “Uwan,” which caused widespread power disruptions and infrastructure damage in the country.
Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said at a media briefing on Tuesday, Nov. 11, that plans are in place to bring back 901.33 megawatts (MW) of lost power generation capacity.
“We have 29 power plants affected. Nine of them are still up for restoration… This is what the DOE is keeping track of as well as the power bureau,” he said.
In the off-grid sector, 17 diesel power plants (DPPs) have resumed normal operations. However, 40 remain on standby because their distribution lines are experiencing total power disruption.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin set a target for full recovery. “The directive to the electric cooperatives (ECs), NGCP, and all the rest, [is that operations] should normalize not more than one month, that’s safe for the places that are difficult to reach [like landslides, or those inaccessible],” Garin said. “Everything should be done by one month. I know this will take a little longer, but the damages are huge.”
Garin cited the 22-day recovery effort following Typhoon “Opong” in Masbate, expressing an expectation for the power sector to maintain a similar swift pace. “Hopefully, we can keep this up for the next few days and weeks. Hopefully, it will be shorter.”
On the transmission side, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is targeting the completion of all restoration works by November 20. Currently, 23 of its transmission lines have been energized, 17 are partially completed, and four remain unavailable.
The DOE reports that approximately 90,000 customers served by private distribution utilities (DUs) are still without power. Nine private DUs in Luzon are currently undergoing repairs.
Manila Electric Company (Meralco), the country’s largest distribution utility, has restored power to 14,995 affected residents. Those still without electricity are mostly in flooded areas in Cavite and Bulacan.
The National Electrification Administration (NEA) noted that eight ECs are experiencing total power interruption, while nine have returned to normal operations. These cooperatives are working to restore power to 3.38 million residents. The total cost of damages to the ECs' power infrastructure stands at ₱4.4 million.
Despite the storm's intensity, the downstream oil supply remains stable.
“The good news is we have a sufficient and stable supply. Considering also that most of our routes for our petroleum trucks are almost passable, except for some areas that are impassable,” Fuentebella noted.
The power disruptions also affected the country’s charging infrastructure, with 83 EV charging stations across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao still out of service.