By Brian Campued
Power interruptions are still likely over parts of Luzon and Visayas this Friday as both power grids remain under red and yellow alerts amid thin power reserves.
As of 11:45 a.m., the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the Luzon grid under red alert from 2:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. and yellow alert from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 11:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. on Saturday.
The NGCP stated that available capacity in Luzon is approximately 12,075 megawatts (MW), while peak demand is expected to reach around 12,927 MW.
In its advisory, the NGCP said that 17 plants were “on forced outage” since May, one since April, three since March, one since February, and three since January.
About 14 plants are running on derated capacities, bringing the total unavailable capacity for the grid to 4,828 MW.
“The extension of the Red and Yellow Alerts is due to the tripping of GNPD Unit 1, resulting in the loss of 668 MW and further aggravating the supply deficiency,” the transmission service provider said.
It added that the Tayabas-Ilijan and Dasmariñas-Ilijan 500-kilovolt (kV) lines had been restored on May 13, with affected plants still awaiting resynchronization.
Rotating power outages
In a statement, the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) said that upon the raising of yellow and red alerts by the NGCP, they have coordinated with commercial and industrial customers under the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) “to seek support in managing the situation.”
Meralco stated that while they have secured around 250 MW de-loading capacity from their ILP customers, they may still need to implement manual load dropping (MLD) to ensure sustained management of the system.
According to Meralco, around 900,000 customers in portions of Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Manila, Pampanga, Quezon, and Rizal were affected by the power outages on Thursday.
Visayas grid is also under red and yellow alerts
The Visayas grid was likewise placed under red alert from 5: 00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and yellow alert from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
As of 8:00 a.m. today, the available capacity in the Visayas is 2,441 MW while peak demand is 2,661 MW.
“11 plants are on forced outage since May 2026, 1 plant since March 2026, 4 plants since 2025, 2 plants since 2024, 2 plants since 2023, 1 plant since 2021, while 11 are running on derated capacities, for a total of 841.3 MW unavailable to the grid,” the NGCP stated.
A red alert status is issued when the power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the regulating requirements of the grid, while a yellow alert status is raised when operating margin is inadequate to meet the grid’s requirements.
DOE demands full NGCP report on power disruptions
Meanwhile, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) have ordered the NGCP to submit a full accounting on the power supply disruptions in Luzon and Visayas.
“The DOE is focused on ensuring stable power supply, protecting consumers, and enforcing accountability across the power sector,” DOE Secretary Sharon Garin said in a press release Thursday.
“The public deserves a full and transparent accounting of the incidents that led to these grid alerts, and we are requiring NGCP to comply fully with all reportorial and regulatory obligations.”
The DOE said its technical teams are independently verifying the status of all affected generating units and transmission facilities to assess whether NGCP and concerned generation companies complied with dispatch instructions and restoration timelines during the alert period.
“The DOE will continue to closely monitor grid conditions in both Luzon and Visayas, assess residual supply risks, and coordinate with NGCP, the ERC, the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP), distribution utilities, and all concerned generation companies to ensure the full restoration of supply adequacy,” the agency said. (with report from Gab Humilde Villegas / PTV News)
-jpv
