Philippines plans 755MW for Western Visayas by 2030

Panay could get 135MW of baseload capacity in 2028 alone.

The Philippines’ Department of Energy (DOE) is advancing near-, medium-, and long-term measures to strengthen the reliability and resilience of Western Visayas’ power supply.

A pipeline of energy investments could bring 135 megawatts (MW) of baseload capacity to Panay by 2028, 270 MW in 2029, and another 150 MW in 2030.

The region could also gain 220 MW of gas-fired mid-merit capacity by 2028 to respond more flexibly to changes in electricity demand and supply, DOE said.

“These projects are intended to provide the dependable and flexible capacity needed to support households, businesses, industries, and future investments as Western Visayas’ economy and electricity requirements continue to expand,” the department said.

DOE is also implementing the Mindoro-Panay Interconnection Project as part of the region’s long-term energy security strategy.

The project will connect the Visayas Grid to the transmission link between Batangas and Mindoro, creating a loop connection between Luzon and the Visayas that will enable additional power transfers between the two grids.

The interconnection would provide the power system with greater flexibility during supply constraints and plant outages.

It will also improve the ability of the grids to share available electricity and respond to growing requirements in Western Visayas and the broader Visayas region.

In the near term, DOE is facilitating the return to service of generating units on forced outage, including large plants operated by Therma Visayas, Inc. and Panay Energy Development Corporation in the Visayas, as well as Therma South Inc. and GNPower Kauswagan Ltd. Co. in Mindanao.

“The scheduled return of these units in September and October 2026 is intended to restore available capacity, rebuild power reserves, and reduce the risk of recurring Yellow and Red Alerts in the Visayas,” DOE said.

For the medium term, DOE is facilitating the deployment of 253MW of ancillary service capacity across the Visayas, including battery energy storage system projects in Cebu, Leyte, Negros, Bohol, and Panay.

The department said these facilities can respond rapidly when supply suddenly falls, helping stabilise the grid and lessen the risk of service interruptions.

“Securing Panay’s energy future requires us to address today’s supply constraints, whilst building the generation and transmission infrastructure that Western Visayas will need in the years ahead,” said Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin.