Not in 2027 but now’: Garcia wants power self-sufficient Cebu

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia supports plans to put up baseload power plants in Cebu underlining the island’s need for sufficient and reliable power to support its robust economy and growing population.

But new power plants will take years to build, and the Governor wants assurance that Cebu island will not suffer the same fate as neighboring Panay island, which experienced massive blackouts at the start of the year due to supply and power infrastructure issues.

Garcia has asked for a meeting of all power generators in the island, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the system operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to discuss the energy sector’s plan of action in case one or two major power plant units in the islands go to scheduled or unscheduled shutdown.

“I am looking after my constituents who will suffer the inconvenience brought about by the absence of power. I am looking after the welfare of the investors and businesses who are giving employment to our people. I want to avoid the catastrophic effects of one or two power plants shutting down,” the governor said. “Do we have plans in place? Do we have the back-up power plants to cover for the deficit?”

While the Governor praises the national government for finally energizing the Mindanao-Visayas interconnection project (MVIP), which connects Mindanao to Santander, Cebu via a submarine power line – she said Cebu Island should be “self-sufficient” and “reliable” in terms of power.

“We cannot be relying mainly on others for our power. We need to be self-sufficient, not in 2027 but now,” she said.

Officers from Aboitiz Power Corporation visited the Office of the Governor on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, to update her on the status of their power plants in the island as well as their projections on the economic growth and future energy needs of Cebu.

Garcia said that even with MVIP, Cebu could experience a thinning of energy demand and supply by 2027 or 2028. The provincial government also takes into consideration the possibility that long-distance and submarine power lines will be severed especially during natural calamities like Typhoon Odette.

“Investments in new baseload power generation in Cebu Island is always welcome. We will support you. You are in friendly territory here,” the Governor told visiting officers from Aboitiz Power.

Aboitiz Power is looking at different options to meet the growing energy demands of Cebu, including the expansion of its Therma Visayas facility in Toledo City, Cebu.

The Governor assured the energy executives of support and cooperation from the provincial government, the local government of Toledo City, and the office of 3rd district Representative Pablo John Garcia.

Based on Department of Energy (DOE) projections, energy demand for Cebu island will reach around 1,400 MW by 2026, and will outpace supply by 2027 – unless new baseload power plants are constructed.

So far indicative and committed power plant projects in Cebu Island only include a 240-MW MWp solar field in Medellin as well as around 10MW combined worth of oil-based generators all located in Lapu-lapu City.

Earlier, NGCP assistant vice president and head for public affairs, Atty. Cynthia Perez-Alabanza said that while the Cebu province presently meets its energy demands adequately, there is a pressing need to enhance its power generation infrastructure.

Alabanza said constructing additional inland power plants is important to bolster existing capacity, establish reserves, and accommodate the anticipated surge of investments and population growth.

As power consumption continues to rise with the full re-opening of the economy after the pandemic, “all the more Cebu needs more power plants,” Alabanza added.

NGCP network operations senior manager for Visayas systems operations, Abner G. Bardoquillo, stressed Cebu’s need to build more power plants, in order not to rely on supplies from neighboring islands.

With the speed of growth in investments, and population, Cebu has to generate its power supply even without relying upon outside-of-province sources. In this way, Cebu can stand on its own, in case of emergencies.

The Department of Energy and the NGCP have previously cited Cebu as among the main sites for large generation capacity additions, such as power plants that can consistently and continuously produce electricity at scale.