Cebu energy summit sought as Visayas power reserves shrink
CEBU CITY — Renewable energy groups are seeking an energy summit in Cebu before the Christmas break as recurring supply shortages leave the Visayas grid with little room for plant failures or demand spikes.
The proposed meeting could help align government agencies, grid and market operators, utilities, regulators, and developers on projects that can prevent more outages and protect households, jobs, and business operations.
Its value will depend on whether participants produce firm completion dates, assign responsibility for delayed projects, and identify capacity that can reach the grid before another shortage.
Jay Layug, president of the Developers of Renewable Energy Associations, or DREAM, said the industry must work collectively on the regional supply problem.
“We need to come together as an industry to help Filipino consumers, ensure uninterrupted business operations, and sustain economic development in the region,” Layug said.
Industry figures showed available capacity ranging from about 2,200 megawatts to 2,900 MW during 2026, against daily peak demand of approximately 2,300 MW to 2,550 MW.
On Oct. 20, available capacity stood at 2,468 MW against peak demand of 2,545 MW, leaving a 77-MW deficit while 685 MW was unavailable to the grid.
Three days earlier, available capacity reached 2,511 MW against peak demand of 2,362 MW, leaving a margin of 149 MW.
The grid came under greater strain in early September, when available capacity of 2,187 MW fell 388 MW short of projected peak demand of 2,575 MW.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines recorded 93 yellow alerts and 30 red alerts in the Visayas through Sept. 3, according to the figures provided by the industry.
NGCP defines a yellow alert as a condition in which the operating margin cannot meet the contingency requirement.
A red alert means supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the grid’s contingency requirement, increasing the risk of rotational outages.
The Department of Energy said the Visayas had experienced recurring alerts since May 12 because several major generating facilities went offline at the same time.
Tetchi Capellan, president and chief executive officer of SunAsia Energy Inc. and founder and chairperson of the Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance, proposed distributed solar paired with battery storage as a faster source of additional capacity.
“Rooftop solar can be installed in weeks and when paired with battery allows clean energy to flow beyond sunset hours for use of homes, factories, and business,” Capellan said.
Solar-plus-storage systems could reduce daytime grid demand and shift part of their output into evening hours.
They would not, however, replace all firm reserves or remove transmission constraints affecting the Visayas grid.
The DOE said in September that it was working to deploy 253 MW of battery storage across Cebu, Panay, Leyte, and Negros to provide fast-response support when generating units suddenly trip.
Layug cautioned against heavy reliance on new oil- and gas-fired generation because global fuel supply disruptions and price swings could increase electricity costs.
“There is a knee jerk reaction to install gensets run by fossil fuel. This is understandable as renewable energy with storage is not yet the top of mind among homes and business,” he said.
Capellan urged the government to accelerate solar and battery deployment, saying lower technology costs have strengthened the commercial case for combining the two systems.
DREAM is inviting the DOE, grid and market operators, distribution utilities, and energy regulators to participate in the proposed Cebu summit.
The proposed agenda covers the completion of projects already in the pipeline, development of additional generating capacity, and electricity network improvements for the near and long term.
Capellan called for constructive engagement with government, saying that “blaming the Department of Energy is not the most productive way to address the issue.”
Layug has also contacted local government units to seek help in accelerating permits for new energy installations.
The proponents have not disclosed a summit date, venue, formal organizer, or list of confirmed participants.
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