POWER supply in the Visayas is getting a helpful boost after major power plants came back online on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. However, power leaders warn that rotational brownouts are still possible because other plants remain broken and electricity imports from Mindanao have dropped.
Department of Energy (DOE) Visayas Regional Director Renante Sevilla confirmed that the KEPCO-SPC Power Corp. facility in Naga City has fully restored its 103-megawatt (MW) capacity to the regional power grid.
At the same time, one of the two 169-MW units at the Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) plant in Toledo City returned to service after reaching full load and reconnecting with the grid.
The return of these two generating facilities brings much-needed electricity to the Visayas grid after weeks of power shortages and sudden outages.
Even with this boost, Sevilla cautioned that the power system is still in a delicate spot. Other power plants across the region are still not working, and electricity coming from Mindanao is lower than usual.
“Ang usa, ganiha ra nag full load, so ang unit two ang operational so nka synchronize na. Na move nila earlier. Fully restored na ang Kepco sa Naga,” Sevilla said.
(One [unit] reached full load just earlier, so Unit 2 is now operational and has synchronized with the grid. They moved the schedule earlier. KEPCO in Naga is now fully restored.)
Because supply remains tight, Visayan Electric warned customers across greater Metro Cebu that one-hour rotational brownouts could still happen during times when electricity demand is highest. Residents are encouraged to monitor updates and prepare for possible power loss.
The warning comes after the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) put the Visayas grid on red alert on Monday, signaling that available power was lower than peak demand.
TVI is working to fix its remaining coal-fired power unit in Toledo City following an emergency shutdown.
While Unit 2 is running and sending 169 MW of power to the grid, the other unit stays offline while workers fix what is believed to be a hole in a boiler tube.
“Supposedly, ang ilang targets a two units end of August pero karun gi extend na nila,” Sevilla explained.
(Supposedly, their target was to have both units restored by the end of August, but they have now extended the timeline.)
Each TVI unit produces 169 MW of power. Bringing one unit back online helps, but the plant is still missing half of its full 338-MW capacity.
To make matters harder, the Visayas cannot rely as heavily on power imports from Mindanao.
“Ang problema natu karun ang import natu gikan Mindanao, duha ka planta didtu nadaot pud. So, wala nay ma import sa atoa kay kuwang na ialahang capacity didtu,” Sevilla said.
(Our problem now is the power we import from Mindanao. Two plants there have also been damaged. So, there is no longer enough capacity there to import power to us.)
These broken plants in Mindanao mean less extra power flows to Cebu, which alone uses more than 1,000 MW of electricity.
Both the DOE and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) are investigating the recent series of plant failures. The issue already hit residents on Monday, Aug. 31, when the NGCP had to cut power in several areas—including parts of Mactan—between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. due to a sudden supply drop.
To stop future power shortages, energy officials are pushing for dynamic energy-storage and renewable projects in Cebu.
Battery Storage: AboitizPower is building a battery energy storage system (Bess) in Naga City that will launch later this year. Battery systems store extra power and release it quickly when demand spikes or plants fail.
Solar Power: A solar plant in Daanbantayan is undergoing testing before connecting to the grid this year, with more solar projects planned in Toledo City and Dumanjug.
Wind & Island Power: Wind energy projects in Alegria are moving through financial checks, while grid expansion tests are happening on Bantayan Island.
While these long-term clean energy projects will make the grid stronger in the future, the partial return of KEPCO and TVI offers immediate relief—though not a complete guarantee against brownouts—for Metro Cebu families today. /CDF