ILOILO City — The Department of Energy (DOE) plans to install 200 megawatts of battery storage capacity across four Visayas provinces while facilitating the construction of new power plants as part of a three-pronged strategy to ease recurring supply shortages and strengthen grid reliability by 2028.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said Iloilo, Negros, Bohol, and Cebu are each expected to receive a 50-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS) under the agency’s medium-term response to the region’s power problems.
“Right now, ang confirmed ko lang is 50 megawatts of battery. Ang bal-an ko may mga bag-o nga power plants man nga ipatindog. Ang sa Igbaras nga hydro-solar project ma-open. Hopefully, ang iban nga provinces man,” Garin said.
The storage facilities will absorb excess electricity — particularly surplus solar power — and release it when demand rises or available supply becomes insufficient.
“The time when we have too much energy, like from solar nga indi man makonsumo tanan, we could store that extra power when we need it,” she explained.
Garin said the battery systems will be integrated into the Visayas grid and managed by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
“Kun mabatyagan sang NGCP nga kulang na ang supply, sila ang mahambal nga i-turn on ang battery kay kinahanglan na naton subong. Daw power bank siya nga kun san-o mo kinahanglan, may reserved ka nga power,” she said.
She clarified that the batteries will not produce electricity but will store excess power for use during peak demand or limited supply.
For its immediate response, the DOE is implementing the “Oras Natin sa Efficiency” (O.N.E.) Campaign, which urges government offices, commercial establishments and households to voluntarily reduce electricity consumption by switching off or unplugging unnecessary appliances from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The agency’s long-term strategy involves facilitating the construction of additional generating facilities across the Visayas. These include the hydro-solar project in Igbaras, Iloilo, and other power plants expected to come online by 2028.
“We cannot simply decide today to build a solar plant and expect it to operate next week. These projects take years to complete,” Garin said, emphasizing the need to implement immediate conservation measures while waiting for new generation facilities to be completed./PN
