Negros Power Second-Year Milestone: Stronger Grid, Bigger Vision for Central Negros

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Negros Power Second-Year Milestone: Stronger Grid, Bigger Vision for Central Negros

Two years can reveal a lot about a company—especially one entrusted with something as essential as keeping homes, businesses, hospitals, schools, and communities powered.

For Negros Electric and Power Corporation (Negros Power), its second year of operations in Central Negros is being marked not simply by what has already been accomplished, but by what still needs to be done.

As the company enters its third year, President and CEO of Primelectric Holdings Inc. Roel Z. Castro emphasized that the journey is bigger than electricity distribution. For Negros Power, the goal is to build a more reliable system while creating a lasting presence and meaningful impact in the communities it serves.

Two Years In—and Already Ahead of Schedule

One of the strongest indicators of progress is the company’s five-year development plan.

According to Castro, Negros Power has already completed nearly half of its five-year targets in just two years, putting the company ahead of its original timetable.

That progress reflects an aggressive push to rehabilitate, modernize, and strengthen the distribution system inherited by the company.

For consumers, however, infrastructure projects are ultimately measured by one thing: Does the electricity service feel more reliable?

The numbers suggest that significant improvements have already been made.

Outages Down. Reliability Up.

Castro reported that the system average frequency of outages has dropped by approximately 70 percent, while the duration of outages has been reduced by around 75 percent.

Those figures represent a substantial shift from the conditions that Central Negros consumers experienced in the past.

But Castro was quick to point out that the work is far from finished.

The objective, he stressed, is not simply to celebrate improvements but to continue strengthening the system until reliability becomes a consistent experience for consumers.

When the Problem Is Bigger Than the Distribution Grid

Yet there is another side to the current power situation in Central Negros.

Consumers continue to experience interruptions, and Castro explained that many of the recent incidents are not primarily caused by Negros Power’s distribution facilities.

Instead, the challenge is increasingly connected to insufficient generation supply within the grid.

Recurring yellow and red alerts, together with Manual Load Dropping, can occur when available generation is unable to meet demand—particularly when major power plants are unavailable.

This distinction is important because solving the problem requires more than upgrading poles, transformers, substations, and distribution lines.

It requires a broader conversation about the region’s power supply.

A Call for a Bigger Regional Conversation

Castro urged stakeholders in Negros to work together in bringing the issue to the Regional Development Council and the national government.

The message is clear: Central Negros cannot address long-term energy reliability in isolation.

Distribution infrastructure is only one part of the equation. Adequate generation capacity, dependable power sources, and long-term energy planning are equally critical to sustaining the region’s economic growth.

For a rapidly developing area, reliable electricity is not merely a convenience—it is part of the foundation for investment, industry, tourism, businesses, and everyday life.

“We Are Here for the Long Term”

Despite the challenges facing the power sector, Castro emphasized that temporary difficulties should not derail the company’s long-term plans.

“Though we are in that situation, that shouldn’t stop us from moving forward because what’s happening can be temporary, can be short term, but we are here for the long term.”

That statement perhaps best captures the direction of Negros Power as it begins its third year.

The company is looking beyond the immediate frustrations of outages and toward a longer horizon of system modernization and community development.

Beyond the Wires: Building a Legacy

Interestingly, Negros Power’s vision extends beyond electricity.

Castro also highlighted the company’s environmental and heritage initiatives, including mangrove planting, forest adoption, and the illumination of the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol.

These projects may seem far removed from transformers and power lines, but they reflect a broader philosophy: a utility company can become part of the social and environmental fabric of the community it serves.

The intention, according to Castro, is to leave behind a legacy that goes beyond the company’s franchise.

A Stronger Commitment to Central Negros

Two years into its journey, Negros Power finds itself at an interesting point.

It has already recorded measurable gains in reliability and moved ahead of its five-year development targets. At the same time, it faces challenges that cannot be solved by the distribution utility alone.

The next chapter, therefore, will require both continued investment and stronger collaboration.

As Negros Power enters its third year, its second-year milestone becomes more than an anniversary marker. It becomes a reminder that progress is a continuing process—one measured not only by fewer outages and upgraded facilities, but also by how deeply an organization becomes invested in the future of the communities it serves.

For Central Negros, the bigger question is no longer simply whether the lights stay on.

It is whether today’s investments can help build a more reliable, sustainable, and future-ready Negros.

And that is a journey that will take everyone—stronger together.