Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has expressed her support in building baseload power plants in Cebu to meet the province’s need for reliable power to fuel its growing economy and population.

The governor stressed that there is an urgent need for the province to attain power self-sufficiency to avoid the plight faced by neighboring Panay Island which has experienced extensive blackouts recently.

“We cannot be relying mainly on others for our power. We need to be self-sufficient, not in 2027 but now,” Garcia said.

Based on the Department of Energy projections on energy demand for Cebu island, it will reach around 1,400 megawatts by 2026 and will outpace supply by 2027 unless new baseload power plants are constructed. Cebu island comprises the mainland, Mactan island, Camotes islands and Bantayan island.

So far, indicative and committed power plant projects in Cebu only include a 240MW solar field in Medellin, as well as around 10MW combined oil-based generators in Lapu-Lapu City.

“I am looking after my constituents who will suffer the inconvenience brought about by the absence of power. I am looking after the welfare of the investors and businesses who are giving employment to our people. I want to avoid the catastrophic effects of one or two power plants shutting down,” Garcia said.

Meantime, AboitizPower is expanding its Therma Visayas Inc facility in Barangay Bato, Toledo City, operating on a 340- megawatt coal-fired power plant composed of two units of 170 MW each. TVI is a joint venture between Aboitiz Power Corp. and Vivant Corp. The expansion will be 169 MW.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines — through assistant vice president and head for public affairs Cynthia Perez-Alabanza — on the other hand, said Cebu needs to have additional power plants given its rapid population growth and increased investments after the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the NGCP, Cebu eats half of the power demand in the visayas. Cebu City, which belongs to the Visayan Electric franchise, consumes half of the province’s demand.

In other developments, the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice continued to express its opposition to Aboitiz’s plan for expanding coal generation in Toledo City, Cebu due to adverse health impacts plaguing residents from the operation of the existing 338-MW coal power in Barangay Bato, Toledo City.

This is in the light of unresolved respiratory and other health-related complaints from residents, which are believed to be caused by fly ash and other pollutions from Therma Visayas Inc. coal power plants.