ILOILO CITY — The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that the power situation in Western Visayas is expected to significantly improve with the upcoming completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay (CNP) transmission line upgrade.
According to Philippines News Agency, this development comes in the wake of a partial blackout in the Panay sub-grid last Friday, attributed to the shutdown of three coal-fired power units by Panay Energy Development Corp. and ongoing regular maintenance by Palm Concepcion Power Corp. (PCPC) set to conclude on March 30.
The DOE highlighted that the CNP transmission upgrade, slated for completion by the end of March, will bolster the Panay grid's capacity and resilience. "Relief from the Panay power situation is less than a month away," the DOE emphasized, underscoring the upgrade's crucial role in enhancing the region's electrical infrastructure.
Furthermore, the DOE stressed the importance of continued cooperation among generators, distribution utilities, and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, the country's system operator, to ensure grid stability and prompt recovery from power interruptions. The agency also urged the public to engage in energy conservation practices while the transmission upgrade and PCPC's maintenance are underway.
To address the immediate and future demands of the Panay grid, the DOE outlined both short- and long-term solutions. Short-term measures include utilizing a 10 percent headroom of large coal plants as a contingency reserve. Meanwhile, long-term strategies involve the energization of several new power plants, both renewable and conventional, and the completion of additional transmission projects designed to support expanding power generation capabilities and the growth of load centers across the region.