THERE could be a shortfall of 120 megawatts in the Visayas grid by December.
Frank Carbon, president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), said the possible shortfall is forecast by Rey Maleza, supervisor of Energy Industry Management Division of the Department of Energy Cebu Field Office.
Carbon said the business sector requested a briefing from Maleza ahead of the Power Summit to be held in Negros Occidental during the last quarter of the year.
Carbon said the province is preparing for major economic boom with the entry of major real estate developers, including Ayala Land Inc., Megaworld Corp., and Double Dragon Properties Corp., the expansion of 888 China Town Square, and the operation of the Negros First Cyber Center.
All these projects are expected to be up and running starting this year.
“We need to be assured of stable power supply because we expect greater power demands and more investors are interested in coming in,” Carbon said.
Based on the DOE briefing, the 46-megawatt biomass plant of Universal Robina Corp. in Sonedco, Kabankalan City, the 12-MW Hawaiian biomass plant and the 20-MW San Carlos Bio Power Plant are going online this year.
Carbon said that in 2016, they are looking forward to the operation of Palm Concepcion Power Corp.’s 135-MW coal-fired plant in northern Iloilo.
The Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) has already signed a contract with a supplier for 20 megaWatts, he added.
The actual power situation on Negros Island will be known in April when Ceneco, Northern Negros Electric Cooperative, Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative and Negros Oriental Electric Cooperative I and II submit their projections.