Sorsogon city: The Department of Energy (DOE) assured Friday that the power supply in Siquijor would return to normal before the end of the year. In a press conference following an activity here, DOE Secretary Sharon Garin said that the government is committed to restoring electricity in the affected areas.

According to Philippines News Agency, Garin emphasized that this issue has been a consistent concern of the President, who is keen on addressing inefficiencies in the electricity sector to prevent prolonged outages. Garin stated, "We have set a deadline: by the end of the year, power supply should return to normal, and outages should no longer last four to eight hours."

Garin outlined the steps being implemented to meet the deadline, including improvements to the looping distribution system and the synchronization and maintenance of all generator sets. She also highlighted the DOE's involvement in a solar power initiative, noting an agreement with the local government to install solar panels on all provincial buildings with a set schedule for completion.

The DOE officials, including Garin, were in Sorsogon City for the ceremonial inauguration of the PHP7 billion, 22-megawatt Tanawon Geothermal Power Plant by First Gen Corporation's renewable energy subsidiary, Energy Development Corporation (First Gen-EDC).