Energy Secretary Acknowledges Baseload Power Shortage in Negros Island Region

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin acknowledged that no new baseload power capacity has been added to the Visayas grid in years, citing issues in the Negros Island Region. Consumer advocacy groups announced they will implement the “NIR Power Shield Stormbird Protocol” by the end of 2026 to secure the region’s electricity supply independently. These groups pointed to systemic failures, including 2,854 megawatts of generation capacity currently being on forced outage and 123 instances of manual load dropping ordered by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines in the Visayas this year. Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Francis Juan also noted that plant outages and a weak peso could increase electricity rates.

The lack of baseload capacity and forced outages directly impacts regional power supply stability in the Negros Island Region. The situation is compounded by warnings that rising electricity rates are likely due to plant outages and currency weakness. The consumer groups' plan to secure supply independently suggests a potential shift in regional energy procurement and regulation.