Mindanao Grid Achieves Record 72-Hour Stable Supply Window

The Mindanao grid achieved a 72-hour continuous supply window from February 6–9, 2025 — the first time the island's interconnected grid has maintained stable supply without rotation brownouts for three consecutive days since 2019. The achievement reflects a combination of new peaking capacity additions, improved coordination among generation companies, and above-average hydro availability following January rainfall.

The milestone is significant for Mindanao's industrial and commercial sectors, which have long cited unreliable power as a major constraint on investment and expansion. Rotating brownouts have been a persistent feature of Mindanao grid management since the chronic supply deficits of the early 2010s.

The new capacity that contributed to the stable window includes a 105 MW diesel peaker in General Santos City that came online in December 2024 and a 55 MW expansion to the Therma South coal plant in Davao. Critics note that the capacity additions are fossil-fuel-based and represent a continuation of Mindanao's dependence on imported fuel.

Mindanao has substantial untapped renewable energy potential, including geothermal resources in South Cotabato, solar potential across the Cotabato Basin, and wind resources along the Surigao coastline. CERP's position is that a lasting solution to Mindanao's supply challenge requires accelerating these renewable investments rather than adding further fossil peaking capacity.