Manila: Battery-powered facilities intended to boost the Visayas power supply are expected to connect to the grid this month, helping to alleviate the yellow and red alerts caused by thin supply margins. Speaking on the sidelines of the 7th Philippine International Geothermal Conference on Thursday, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) was originally tasked with installing the facilities by June, but faced delays.

According to Philippines News Agency, the NGCP has now assured the completion of the battery installations within the month. The facilities aim to provide 200 megawatts of power across the Visayas, which, based on simulations, would reduce the frequency of red and yellow alerts by 50 percent. Currently, one battery-powered facility is stationed in Negros but remains unconnected to the grid.

To further bolster energy reserves, Garin mentioned that the Department of Energy (DOE) officials are in discussions with private entities to deploy diesel-powered barges as an additional power source. This comes amid recent yellow and red alerts over the Visayas and Mindanao grids due to forced outages at several power plants.

Garin also disclosed that the agency has issued show-cause orders to non-compliant generation companies, demanding explanations for the unavailability of their facilities. The DOE has recently strengthened accountability measures for generation companies, and Garin emphasized that continuous assessments of firm performances will be conducted under this new policy. 'This is a notice to all the gencos (generation companies) that we owe the people better service,' she added.