Manila: Investors should be encouraged for the construction of a secondary line, particularly the Panay-Mindoro-Batangas subsea grid extension loop, eyed to address the power concerns in Panay Island.
According to Philippines News Agency, in a privilege speech delivered during the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council) on Wednesday, Councilor Romel Duron said there is no need to wait for the timeline set by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. The Energy Regulation Commission (ERC) through Resolution No. 18, series of 2026, allowed qualified private sector entities and consortiums to finance, build, and operate critical power lines and grid infrastructure.
"The ERC has handed us the golden key. The private sector no longer has to wait for the grid provider's delayed timelines; we can legally step in and build our own salvation but we have to encourage investors with the backing of local governments concerned," Duron said.
The councilor, who chairs the committee on transportation, energy, and public utilities at the City Council, said it should be tackled through the Regional Development Council and make the construction of the secondary transmission line among their priorities. He mentioned that local government units should prepare an investment and readiness map identifying realistic generation zones, storage opportunities, grid-facing industrial sites, port and logistic support points, landing areas, substation needs, downstream distribution upgrades, land-use constraints, environmental risk, and right-of-way issues to support the project.
"Let us also use our legislative mandate to strip away administrative hurdles. I call on this August body to pass a formal resolution urging the Department of Energy to declare the Panay-Mindoro-Batangas subsea grid extension loop a national project of strategic significance," he added.
Panay, being at the tail-end of the Visayas grid, experiences unstable power supply. The island plunges into darkness should a single generating unit trip. Data presented during the recent Power Forum convened by More Electric and Power Corp. showed that the Mindanao grid operates with a stable surplus, managing a peak demand of 2,652 megawatts (MW) against its available generating capacity spanning between 2,752 megawatts and 2,965 megawatts. The Luzon grid has an average generating capacity between 13,500 MW and 16,000 MW, ready to absorb a peak demand up to 14,500 MW.
"If we back the construction of the Panay-Mindoro-Batangas subsea grid extension loop via a strategic public-private partnership, we can permanently drive down rates by at least PHP2 to PHP2.50 per kilowatt-hour by tapping into Luzon's vast, low-cost baseload energy," Duron said.
