A critical step towards resolving Siquijor province’s persistent power woes was achieved today with the arrival of a much-needed power generation set, just a day after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. personally assured residents of relief from rotational brownouts.
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) confirmed the arrival of a trailer truck carrying a generator set (genset) from Sta. Rosa, Laguna, at 5:59 a.m. this Thursday. The equipment, transported via MV Martin 7 of Maayo Shipping Lines, was immediately moved to the Siquijor Island Power Corp. (SipCor) plant in Barangay Tignao, Lazi.
This development follows President Marcos’s visit to Siquijor on Wednesday, where he oversaw measures to address the prolonged daily power disruptions that have severely impacted the province’s activities, including its booming tourism sector.
As of 11 a.m. today, Siquijor’s total available power output stands at 6.9 megawatts (MW), covering off-peak baseload requirements of 6 MW. However, the island’s total peak demand currently reaches 9 MW, resulting in a shortfall of 2.1 MW.
The newly arrived SipCor rental genset, with a rated capacity of 1 MW and a dependable capacity of 0.85 MW, is currently undergoing installation. Authorities anticipate that if completed within the day, this equipment will boost the island’s total available capacity to 7.75 MW, significantly narrowing the power deficit during peak hours to just 1.25 MW.
While brownouts are assured not to occur during off-peak hours, limited rotational brownouts of approximately one to two hours may still be experienced during peak evening hours until the full solution is in place.
Further relief is on the horizon with the expected arrival of a separate 2 MW genset from Palawan. Although delayed, this larger unit is anticipated to reach the Cebu port by 8 p.m. Thursday, June 12. A landing craft tank (LCT) has been chartered for its transport, with loading expected to take five hours. This 2 MW genset is projected to arrive in Siquijor before 6 p.m. on Friday, June 13, with installation and commissioning targeted for completion within 48 hours of its arrival.
If all timelines are met, the island anticipates achieving full peak demand coverage by June 15, effectively bringing an end to the rotational brownouts that have disrupted the lives of households and businesses across Siquijor.
Local officials and residents have expressed their profound welcome for these updates, holding high hopes that the timely arrival and swift installation of these generators will finally restore a stable and consistent power supply to the province.
