The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has launched an investigation into the outage allowances of power generation plants following persistent supply deficits in the Visayas Grid.
The regulatory body is evaluating the operational history of offline generation facilities to determine if these shutdowns exceeded legal limits and contributed to the current power crunch. Concerns have also mounted regarding how these ongoing supply deficits may drive up consumer electricity costs across Visayas and Mindanao.
ERC Director Atty. Ma. Corazon Gines said officials are comparing the recorded downtime of each facility against its mandated allowance to check whether the shutdowns were valid under current regulations.
The inquiry was triggered by a call from Senate President Win Gatchalian, who urged regulators to probe the recurring supply shortages affecting both the Visayas and Mindanao regions. Gatchalian warned that unaddressed power deficits threaten both grid reliability and price stability for end-users.
Gines noted that the ERC will examine the details of each incident before deciding if any generation companies breached regulatory caps. Facilities found to have surpassed their allowable limits face potential penalties ranging from P50,000 up to P50 million, depending on the severity of the violation.
The commission’s ongoing monitoring aims to enforce compliance among generation firms and protect consumers while stabilizing the regional power grid.