CEBU Governor Pamela Baricuatro on Thursday, September 3, 2026, called for a meeting with power suppliers and energy officials and set a Cebu Energy Summit for October 7 as the Visayas grid faced another day of tight power supply.
In a statement posted on her Facebook page, Baricuatro said she wants representatives of the Department of Energy (DOE), National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), Visayan Electric, Cebeco and private energy providers to assess the supply situation and identify short- and long-term measures.
"While electricity generation, transmission, and distribution are not directly under the jurisdiction of the Cebu Provincial Government, I have called for a meeting with our power suppliers and key energy stakeholders... to get a clear picture of the present situation, understand where the gaps are, and determine what can be done immediately and in the longer term," she said.
The call came as NGCP placed the Visayas grid under red alert from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and yellow alert from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. Available capacity stood at 2,187 megawatts (MW), below the projected peak demand of 2,575 MW. NGCP said about 792 MW was unavailable because of plant outages and derated generating units.
Power deficit
Cebu has been grappling with recurring rotational power interruptions as generation shortages continue to strain the Visayas grid.
Baricuatro said an inadequate energy supply could also limit Cebu's ability to attract investments and support business expansion.
"We want more investments. We want industries to expand. We want more businesses and more jobs for Cebuanos. But none of these can happen sustainably if our energy supply cannot keep pace with our growth," she said.
Energy projects
The governor said the Capitol has been working to advance energy projects in northern and southern Cebu as part of longer-term efforts to increase supply.
"As I mentioned in my State of the Province Address (Sopa), the Capitol has worked to facilitate the ACCIONA solar farm project in Daanbantayan, as well as the Alternergy wind-energy project in Alegria. And the oil & gas exploration which could potentially convert it into energy," Baricuatro said, adding that "this is something that should have been addressed a long time ago."
In Daanbantayan, a P7.5-billion, 150-megawatt solar project moved closer to construction after the Department of Agrarian Reform 7 approved land conversion for the first half of 80 lots covering a 187-hectare site in Barangay Tingub. Cebu Provincial Administrator Ace Durano said the Provincial Government was processing the remaining lots in batches.
Spain-based Acciona Energia is developing the project under a 25-year build-operate-transfer agreement, with Power China as builder. Initial engineering work has started, while construction is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026. The solar farm is targeted to go online by the end of 2027.
Alegria projects
In Alegria, Texcal Energy Mahato Inc. was awarded Petroleum Service Contract 89 for the redevelopment of the town's oil and gas field, which had been dormant for about three years. The Indonesian-based company has proposed processing some of the output into diesel and bunker fuel.
The Cebu Provincial Development Council Executive Committee also endorsed an up-to-80-megawatt wind power project in Alegria on June 10. The project is being developed by MC Project Solutions Inc., in which Alternergy Wind Holdings Corp. acquired a 95 percent stake. It has a committed delivery date in late 2028 under the DOE's Fourth Green Energy Auction.
Once completed, the wind facility is expected to feed electricity into the national grid.
October summit
Baricuatro said the October 7 Cebu Energy Summit would bring government officials, energy companies, businesses, investors and other stakeholders together to discuss the province's longer-term power requirements.
"Beyond addressing the situation today, we need a real conversation about Cebu’s energy future. That is why I have also called for a Cebu Energy Summit on October 7, bringing together the energy sector, government, business, investors, and other stakeholders," Baricuatro said.
The Cebu Provincial Government's direct role in power generation remains limited. Since August 2024, the province has operated generator sets supplying Malapascua Island in Daanbantayan, while Cebeco II handles distribution.
"While our direct role in power generation is limited, our responsibility to protect Cebu’s growth and advocate for the needs of our people is not," Baricuatro said.
"We assure the Cebuano people that we will continue to push for a more reliable, sufficient, and sustainable energy supply for Cebu." (CDF)
