THE Visayas power forum in Iloilo City. (Tara Yap)
ILOILO CITY – The Department of Energy (DOE) is finalizing an energy plan for Panay Island to avert major supply risk by 2029.
Ilongga DOE Secretary Sharon Garin has directed its Electric Power Industry Management Bureau (EPIMB) to craft the Panay Energy Master Plan, which will be a blueprint to secure the growing power demand in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo.
Engr. Camille Roxas, DOE-EPIMB supervising research specialist, said that Panay Island is very vulnerable to the supply chain as its location is the end of the service line of the Visayas transmission grid.
Panay Island has experienced two- to three-day major power blackouts since 2023.
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has finished its Cebu-Negros-Panay backbone project but Panay Island is still not connected to the Luzon grid and could not get readily obtain power supply in times of emergencies when power plants in Luzon are down.
Speaking online at the Visayas Power forum hosted by MORE Power Inc. in Iloilo City on Aug. 5, Roxas said that the Panay Energy Master Plan also seeks to address power generation gaps.
“We want to achieve sufficient power generation within Panay Island that can stand alone even when there is disconnection from the other grids,” Roxas said.
With the theme “Powering Business Growth: Grid Reliability and Electricity Price Outlook,” the forum tackled ongoing power problems in the Visayas.
Other speakers were Engr. Robinson Descanzo of the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) and Joseph Ladrido of the Institute of Contemporary Economics (ICE). Also present were Primelectric Holdings Inc. Chief Operating Officer Richard J. Nethercott and MORE Power Vice President Niel Parcon.