Gov. Humerlito “Bonz” Dolor has given independent power producers (IPPs) until May 31 to resolve operational issues and begin full operations, warning that their agreements could be terminated if they fail to comply.
The ultimatum comes as Oriental Mindoro faces a worsening power crisis during the peak of the dry season. The Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (Ormeco) has been implementing manual load dropping to prevent a total grid collapse, resulting in frequent and prolonged brownouts across the province.
“Their deadline is May 31 to fix everything and start operating,” Dolor said in a statement.
He added: “We will no longer tolerate unfulfilled commitments while the people of Oriental Mindoro suffer in the dark.”
Data from Ormeco showed that the province recorded a peak demand of 75.31 megawatts (MW) on May 11, while available supply reached only 56.5 MW, leaving a deficit of 18.81 MW. Demand is projected to rise further to 86.4 MW by the end of the month.