BACOLOD CITY: The Department of Energy (DoE) in the Visayas has ordered a temporary halt in the operations of new renewable energy (RE) power plants in Negros and neighboring Panay Island. Rey Maleza, DOE Visayas supervisor said the moratorium—which is “temporary but indefinite”—covers only proposed power plants, not existing RE facilities. Maleza said, “We have a problem transmitting the current RE projects in Panay and Negros.” The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, which operates and maintains transmission lines between power plants and utilities, requested the DoE to put on hold future RE projects while it improves the power infrastructure. “The supply came first before the facilities,” Maleza added. Negros Occidental is now considered the country’s solar power capital. It also hosts biomass power plants and is planning to develop hydro projects in its six major river systems.
