Therma Visayas boosts facility to 450-MW

TOLEDO CITY — Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) laid the cornerstone for its Unit 3 expansion in Barangay Bato on Friday, marking the start of a 150-megawatt (MW) addition to its existing 300-MW power facility.

The project is designed to reinforce the Visayas grid, close Cebu’s supply deficit and help stabilize electricity for the island, where peak demand is projected to climb to around 1,400 MW by 2026.

Rhea Navarro, AboitizPower’s regional chief operating officer for Visayas, underscored the milestone’s broader impact.

CORNERSTONE LAYING AboitizPower executives Aldo Ramos and Rhea Navarro (first two from left) lead the cornerstone laying of Therma Visayas Inc.’s (TVI) Unit 3 expansion – a 150-megawatt (MW) – in Barangay Bato, Toledo City, on Sept. 12, 2025, which will boost the Visayas grid and raise TVI’s total capacity to 450 MW once completed. PHOTO BY KAISER JAN FUENTES

“Today we set a cornerstone for Unit Three, a 150-megawatt addition to our existing 300-megawatt plan to help drive Cebu’s growth and strengthen the Visayas grid for years to come,” she said.

AboitizPower Chief Operating Officer Aldo Ramos described the expansion as more than a capacity increase.

“Unit Three is a capacity addition, yes, but it’s also a capacity for hope, for enterprise and for the future that we are building together in Toledo and Cebu, and the Visayas,” he said.

The ceremony gathered local and national leaders, including Toledo City Mayor Marjorie “Joie” Perales, Vice Mayor JC Sigue, Cebu 3rd District Rep. Karen Garcia, former representative Pablo John Garcia and representatives from the Cebu provincial government.

Also in attendance were Undersecretary Mario Mercigan of the Department of Energy and Paquito Melicor, regional executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Central Visayas.

Unit 3 is a brownfield coal-fired expansion that utilizes existing TVI site infrastructure — such as the jetty, conveyor and switchyard — minimizing land disturbance while meeting national regulations.

Once operational, it will raise TVI’s total capacity to 450 MW, helping close Cebu’s 100-MW local deficit and ensuring reliable baseload power during peak periods or yellow alerts.

The expansion is expected to benefit hospitals, manufacturing, ICT-BPO, tourism, real estate and infrastructure sectors, while reducing dependence on imported power and shielding the local economy from supply disruptions.

Scheduled for completion by 2028, Unit 3 is projected to generate jobs during construction and deliver long-term gains for surrounding communities, reinforcing TVI’s role as a partner in progress for Toledo and the wider Visayas region.