MANILA, Philippines – Power supply across the Philippine electricity grid improved in December 2025, but tighter conditions in the Visayas and Mindanao pushed electricity prices higher, the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) said.
In a report, IEMOP said average system-wide supply rose to 20,233 megawatts (MW) in December, up 1.2% from November, while demand fell by 0.5% to 13,440 MW. The improved balance widened the overall system supply margin to 4,798 MW from 4,572 MW a month earlier.
Despite the favorable national outlook, IEMOP noted contrasting conditions across regions.
Supply margins in the Visayas and Mindanao declined by 136 MW and 245 MW, respectively, mainly due to planned and forced outages of power plants. These constraints, along with transmission limitations that restricted access to cheaper electricity from Luzon, pushed the system-wide average market price to P4.38 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), up from P3.98/kWh in November.
Luzon continued to post improving conditions, with higher supply and lower demand bringing down the average market price to P2.98/kWh from P3.52/kWh in the previous billing month.
In contrast, operating conditions tightened in the Visayas and Mindanao. In the Visayas, supply increased by 106 MW, but demand grew faster at 181 MW, resulting in a reduced supply margin. Mindanao recorded a 245-MW drop in supply alongside a 25-MW increase in demand.
IEMOP said the Visayas grid typically benefits from power imports from Luzon through the Leyte–Luzon high-voltage direct current interconnection, which helps ease supply pressures under normal conditions.
About The Author
