The Cebu Energy Rights Advocates is supporting a proposal in Congress to return national power transmission planning to the government, as recurring electricity shortages continue to put pressure on consumers and businesses across the Visayas.
The proposal was discussed during a joint hearing of the House committees on Energy and Visayas Concerns on September 21. Under the proposed arrangement, the Department of Energy and National Transmission Corporation would take responsibility for transmission planning, while the privately owned National Grid Corporation of the Philippines would focus on developing and constructing transmission projects.
CERA convenor Nathaniel Chua said recent yellow and red alerts in the Visayas were made worse by limitations in the transmission system. He pointed to a significant imbalance between available generating capacity in Luzon and the ability to move electricity to other regions.
According to figures presented during the congressional hearing, Luzon had around 5,000 megawatts of excess capacity while the Visayas and Mindanao grids were experiencing tighter supply conditions. CERA argued that stronger government control over long-term transmission planning could help align grid expansion with national electricity requirements.
The issue has become increasingly important for Cebu and the wider Visayas as power interruptions and grid alerts have persisted. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has separately asked the Energy Regulatory Commission to investigate the prolonged shortages and the large difference in electricity prices between Luzon and the Visayas and Mindanao.
From July 26 to August 25, Wholesale Electricity Spot Market prices averaged P4.80 per kilowatt-hour in Luzon, compared with P18.59 per kWh in the Visayas and P19.56 per kWh in Mindanao, according to figures cited by Gatchalian.
The Visayas grid recorded 33 red alerts and 96 yellow alerts between January 1 and September 7, according to data cited during the congressional discussions.
On September 22, the grid was again placed under yellow alert from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines reported available capacity of 2,504 megawatts against projected peak demand of 2,419 MW. Thirteen power plants were on forced outage, while 16 others were operating at reduced capacity.
The Energy Regulatory Commission has also introduced new rules intended to accelerate the construction of critical transmission facilities. In June, the ERC approved rules allowing entities other than the transmission network provider to finance and construct certain projects identified by the Department of Energy as associated or priority transmission projects.
Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, transmission remains a regulated common-carrier business, while the National Transmission Corporation is legally responsible for planning, construction and centralized operation and maintenance of high-voltage transmission facilities.
CERA is also calling for additional temporary power barges in Panay and Negros while longer-term transmission upgrades are pursued. The group wants an independent investigation into the simultaneous unscheduled shutdowns of several generating plants that contributed to recent grid alerts.
Business groups in Central Visayas have likewise called for stronger national action, saying reliable electricity is essential for manufacturing, business services, tourism and other economic activities in the region.
The debate now goes beyond individual power outages. With the Visayas repeatedly operating with tight reserves, lawmakers and regulators are facing questions over how transmission projects should be planned, who should control those decisions and how quickly the grid can be expanded to move electricity between islands.
