THE Department of Energy (DoE) was urged Monday to prioritize solution to the continuing power shortage in the Visayas.

The said dillema threatened to put the island regions in total darkness by 2011 and beyond if not solved.

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Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero called Monday the attention of the DoE, led by Sec. Angelo Reyes, to come up with immediate solutions to the growing energy shortage in the Visayas, which he said, is causing the slow growth of economies of key areas in the region.

"I believe the dangers of not addressing the power shortage in the Visayas have already been emphasized," said Escudero. "We should not court the people's ire by standing by and allowing the power outages to cripple some of the growing industries in the region."

Earlier, DoE warned that Visayas will have more power interruptions due to what the department termed as "thinning reserves".

Included in the list of grids that would feel the big effect of such power shortage is the Cebu-Negros-Panay (CNP) grid, where Negros Occidental gets its power supply.

Escudero said the issue should be solved as the information and communication technology (ICT) industry (call centers) is fast growing in the region.

"The concerns of the ICT industry players are but the tip of the iceberg. The manufacturing and tourism industries are also in danger of declining if the power shortage in Visayas is not addressed," he said in a statement.

Visayas has a current demand of 967 megawatts (MW). Around 2,283 MW is needed in the next five years as per the government's power development plan (PDP).