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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider WESM spikes loom as Visayas seeks Luzon, Mindanao power

WESM spikes loom as Visayas seeks Luzon, Mindanao power

Published Dec 11, 2025 03:41 pm
Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) prices in the Philippines’ three grids may see a domino effect, the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) warned, if the Visayas grid increases its reliance on supply from Luzon and Mindanao.
In an interview, Isidro Cacho Jr., WESM head of trading operations, said the Visayas grid could see a spot market price increase of around ₱6 to ₱7 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Meanwhile, prices in the Mindanao grid could rise by ₱4 to ₱5 per kWh.
Currently, the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) price for Visayas stands at ₱5.29 per kWh, while the Mindanao grid is at ₱4.99 per kWh.
“In Luzon, we’re at ₱4/kWh for now,” Cacho told reporters on Thursday, Dec. 11. “But next year, with the growth in demand and if there’s any unplanned outages, it [could also increase] by ₱5 to ₱6 [per kWh].”
While these projections could take effect by the summer months, Cacho noted that the Visayas grid could potentially depend more on its neighboring regions for procuring additional supply.
“If there are forced outages in Luzon or Mindanao, it would have an impact on the overall supply, and immediately we’ll see that effect on Visayas,” he said.
Cacho pointed out that while forced outages commonly drive up spot market prices, planned maintenance works for some power plants in the first and third quarters of the year will also affect the grid’s average supply.
However, he added, "In terms of forced outages this year, generators have improved their performance. Meaning, there are lower outages this year compared to last year.”
Higher economic activity could drive a potential increase in demand by 2026, according to the IEMOP chief.
“For Luzon [last year] the highest was 14,000 megawatts (MW) in terms of peak demand. So a five percent [demand growth] would be about 14,600 MW... That goes also with Visayas.”
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