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Brix Lelis - The Philippine Star
December 17, 2025 | 12:00am
“There’s a potential critical supply situation in the Visayas. That’s based on the initial simulation of demand-supply,” Energy Undersecretary Mylene Capongcol said in an interview.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Electricity supply in Visayas could become critically strained next year, triggered by the planned and unexpected shutdown of several power plants, a senior energy official warned.
“There’s a potential critical supply situation in the Visayas. That’s based on the initial simulation of demand-supply,” Energy Undersecretary Mylene Capongcol said in an interview.
Capongcol said the Department of Energy (DOE) expects “some episodes of yellow alerts” next year, depending on projected demand and the additional capacity that may support the national grid.
“That’s why we’re focusing our efforts on addressing the potential yellow alerts. It seems like they’re only yellow alerts,” she said.
A yellow alert is issued when the power supply is on the verge of becoming insufficient. It means there is a tight supply, but there is still enough capacity to meet consumer demand.
To date, eight yellow alert notices have been raised in the Visayas, latest data from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines showed.
According to Capongcol, the DOE is closely monitoring power plants scheduled for shutdown or affected by force majeure.
She also clarified that the potential supply shortfall is not linked to a series of earthquakes and tropical cyclones this year.
“It’s because the energy sector is quick to carry out rehabilitation. Even the power plants that were affected don’t require much time for restoration,” Capongcol said.
“As for the transmission lines and distribution systems, they were repaired immediately, except for a few that suffered significant damage,” she added.
Citing initial projections, the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) said Visayas has become “dependent primarily” on Luzon and Mindanao grids.
“The Visayas is a net importer of power from Luzon and Mindanao,” IEMOP vice president for trading operations Isidro Cacho Jr. said in an earlier interview.
Since Visayas relies on electricity flowing from other regions, forced outages in power plants across Luzon and Mindanao could escalate into tighter supply and raise the risk of blackouts, Cacho said.
