Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said Visayas consumers could see fewer grid alerts in the coming months as the government pushes short-term measures aimed at improving power stability.
Garin said the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines has been urged to move faster on a battery installation contract that could help steady the Visayas grid.
She said the situation has worsened over the past few months, prompting the Department of Energy to press for temporary solutions that could reduce disruptions affecting businesses, hospitals and schools.
While she stopped short of promising that alerts would disappear entirely, Garin said she hoped consumers would begin to feel some improvement before the end of the year.
Additional relief could come from power barges expected by late 2026 or the first quarter of 2027, with Garin calling on national and local agencies to help speed up the necessary processing.
She is also backing a proposed transmission link that would connect Panay to Mindoro and eventually Batangas, which she said could provide another layer of security and stability for the island grid.
The project is not yet included in NGCP’s transmission development plan, but Garin said private companies could potentially pursue the link if allowed.
She raised the proposals during a meeting with the Regional Development Council, seeking support for measures intended to address recurring power constraints in the Visayas.