DOE assures enough power supply on Sinulog weekend

CEBU, Philippines — Stakeholders within Cebu’s power industry have provided assurances regarding the reliability of power supply and favorable transmission status, anticipating a surge in electricity demand during the upcoming Sinulog weekend.

A statement from the Department of Energy (DOE) Public Affairs Office said that based on the department’s projection, the available power supply will be enough to meet the demand and operating margin.

“The Sinulog Festivities fall on a weekend. Hence, the DOE expects lower demand compared to a weekday,” DOE said.

However, DOE committed to closely coordinate with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and the concerned Distribution Utilities, such as Visayan Electric, to be ready for contingency measures to ensure that there will be no power interruption during the festivities.

In a statement released by the NGCP Visayas Field Office, it likewise assured that it has linemen positioned on 24/7 standby to immediately respond in case of grid disturbance and other emergencies.

Meanwhile, Visayan Electric is committed to ensuring a reliable power supply for its franchise area, especially during the Sinulog Festival weekend. The company assures that there will be ample power to meet the demand of the festivities.

Visayan Electric serves the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay and Naga and four municipalities of the greater part of Metro Cebu—Liloan, Consolacion, Minglanilla and San Fernando.

Despite these assurances, DOE reminds everyone to observe energy efficiency and conservation measures to contribute to managing the demand and have more excess power supply.

To recall, a day after the New Year’s Eve, a region-wide power outage hit Western Visayas crippling the islands of Panay and Guimaras as well as some areas in Negros.

In a statement, NGCP blamed the massive outage on the unscheduled maintenance shutdowns of the largest power plants in Panay.