^{Photo credit: AP}
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck southern Mindanao on Monday morning caused temporary power interruptions across several facilities operated by Aboitiz Power Corporation, though generation and distribution assets were largely stabilized within hours, according to company updates.

“All personnel across all facilities are confirmed safe,” the company said, as it detailed the immediate impact of the seismic event on both generation and distribution infrastructure.

On the generation side, AboitizPower said operations across its regional facilities remained stable overall, with only a temporary interruption at its Therma South plant in Davao City. The company said the facility “experienced a temporary disruption but was able to synchronize back to the grid at 1:07PM,” restoring output after initial checks.

Other generation assets, including Therma Marine, Inc. in Davao de Oro and Agusan del Norte, and SPI Power, Inc. in Misamis Oriental, were reported to have continued normal operations without interruption.

For renewable operations under Aboitiz Renewables, Inc., the earthquake caused a localized line tripping in hydropower facilities. The company said affected units were “restored to normal operations following safety checks conducted by field teams.”

On the distribution side, temporary outages were recorded in several areas but were quickly resolved. 

In Cotabato, the company reported that “power service has been fully restored to all affected areas as of 1:14PM,” while inspection work on distribution lines continued.

Davao Light also confirmed that restoration efforts were swiftly completed, stating that “all major lines and substations were energized as of 2:00PM,” even as field teams remained on-site to conduct inspections and ensure system integrity.

Across Mindanao, AboitizPower’s operations span both generation facilities and distribution utilities serving key load centers in the Davao region and nearby provinces, with the company noting that monitoring and coordination continued as aftershocks and safety assessments were carried out across affected sites.

Given the rapid restoration across generation and distribution assets, what does this event suggest about Mindanao’s grid resilience—and where do vulnerabilities still need to be addressed?

Follow Power Philippines on Facebook and LinkedIn or join our Viber community for more news and updates on the Philippine energy sector.