MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) expects electricity demand to spike in 2027 because of an expected strong El Niño.
Data from the agency showed that Luzon's peak demand for the full year of 2027 is estimated to reach an average of around 15,928 megawatts (MW), a big jump from a projected average peak demand of between 12,842 MW and 15,032 MW expected in the period October to December 2026.
In Visayas, average peak demand is expected to reach around 3,904 MW for 2027, up from a projected average peak demand of between 2,558 MW and 3,000 MW.
In Mindanao, the average peak demand was projected to be about 3,209 MW, an increase from a projected average peak demand of between 2,593 MW to 2,975 MW.
In a media interview at the World Nuclear Supply Chain forum on Tuesday, DOE Undersecretary Mario Marasigan said that with this estimated spike in electricity demand, preparations are underway to minimize the impact of El Niño.
"Preparations are underway, and we have already activated the DOE Task Force on Energy Resiliency. We are also already in coordination with the Task Force El Niño as well," Marasigan said.
"We are also looking at the most vulnerable sectors, such as the hospital, medical facilities, making sure that they have backup power," Marasigan said. "We are also looking over at our inventory of diesel gensets in order to make sure which can be used. The summer months will again be critical.”