Philippines to add 7,000 MW of power in 2025
By Gabriell Christel Galang – Jan 13, 2025 05:33 AM
from Manila Bulletin
The Department of Energy (DOE) has recorded nearly 7,000 megawatts (MW) worth of power projects slated for completion in 2025.
Data listing all private sector-initiated projects for this year showed that the DOE identified 6,841 MW worth of projects, most of which are located in Luzon.
Luzon holds the largest share of renewable energy (RE) projects in the pipeline, with 3,923 MW, primarily solar power. The region is also set to develop 1,320 MW of natural gas and 500 MW of coal projects.
Visayas has the second-largest share of projects by capacity, with a total of 855 MW planned for development this year, of which 846 MW are solar projects.
Mindanao’s RE presence is also expanding, with 176 clean energy projects comprising most of the region’s 232 MW of planned developments.
Energy storage systems (ESS) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) are also on the rise. Luzon is set to generate 230 MW of BESS and ESS, while Mindanao is expected to develop 100 MW.
This year’s peak demand is expected to grow across all three regions. Luzon’s peak demand is projected to increase by 5.4 percent from 14,016 MW to 14,769 MW.
Visayas’ peak demand will climb by 16 percent from 2,681 MW to 3,111 MW, while Mindanao will see an 8.2 percent increase to 2,789 MW.
Despite the anticipated rise in demand, especially in Visayas, Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla assured the public that this year’s power situation would improve.
“We are in a much better situation this year than last year because several projects have come online,” he said. “This includes not only new generation capacity but also transmission lines that are vital to bringing the supply to the market.”
Acknowledging the power concerns in Visayas, Lotilla explained that the region, which relies on imports from Luzon and Mindanao, would undergo improvements this year.
“Mindanao still has excess capacity, which allows us to export additional power to the Visayas, especially in the evenings. But we must be able to grow with the increased demand.”
The DOE has assured the public that the country would not face any power strains, especially during this election year, citing various improvement works to be undertaken by different distribution utilities (DUs) and electric cooperatives (ECs).
“The resiliency of the system was tested, and unlike other countries in Southeast Asia, which had to curtail power supply to industrial and commercial customers, we only had, at most, two-hour rolling brownouts in selected parts of the country,” the DOE chief elaborated.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has recorded nearly 7,000 megawatts (MW) worth of power projects slated for completion in 2025.
Data listing all private sector-initiated projects for this year showed that the DOE identified 6,841 MW worth of projects, most of which are located in Luzon.
Luzon holds the largest share of renewable energy (RE) projects in the pipeline, with 3,923 MW, primarily solar power. The region is also set to develop 1,320 MW of natural gas and 500 MW of coal projects.
Visayas has the second-largest share of projects by capacity, with a total of 855 MW planned for development this year, of which 846 MW are solar projects.
Mindanao’s RE presence is also expanding, with 176 clean energy projects comprising most of the region’s 232 MW of planned developments.
Energy storage systems (ESS) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) are also on the rise. Luzon is set to generate 230 MW of BESS and ESS, while Mindanao is expected to develop 100 MW.
This year’s peak demand is expected to grow across all three regions. Luzon’s peak demand is projected to increase by 5.4 percent from 14,016 MW to 14,769 MW.
Visayas’ peak demand will climb by 16 percent from 2,681 MW to 3,111 MW, while Mindanao will see an 8.2 percent increase to 2,789 MW.
Despite the anticipated rise in demand, especially in Visayas, Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla assured the public that this year’s power situation would improve.
“We are in a much better situation this year than last year because several projects have come online,” he said. “This includes not only new generation capacity but also transmission lines that are vital to bringing the supply to the market.”
Acknowledging the power concerns in Visayas, Lotilla explained that the region, which relies on imports from Luzon and Mindanao, would undergo improvements this year.
“Mindanao still has excess capacity, which allows us to export additional power to the Visayas, especially in the evenings. But we must be able to grow with the increased demand.”
The DOE has assured the public that the country would not face any power strains, especially during this election year, citing various improvement works to be undertaken by different distribution utilities (DUs) and electric cooperatives (ECs).
“The resiliency of the system was tested, and unlike other countries in Southeast Asia, which had to curtail power supply to industrial and commercial customers, we only had, at most, two-hour rolling brownouts in selected parts of the country,” the DOE chief elaborated.
