MANILA -Yellow alerts are expected to be raised in the Luzon grid as soon as April 24 and persist until mid-June despite the Department of Energy’s (DOE) softer projection this year, according to a report by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC).
In its 2023 Luzon Power Outlook report released on Tuesday, the international energy policy group warned that the country’s power supply situation may become precarious for around eight weeks as demand steadily increases.
Yellow alerts are raised when energy reserves fall below ideal levels, although these do not immediately lead to power outages.
ICSC cited Energy Undersecretary Rowena Guevara’s earlier projection of 15 yellow alerts for Luzon this year, as forced power plant outages are expected to deprive the grid of around 600 megawatts in the second quarter.
“If forced outages indeed occur during high demand, the system has to rely on more expensive power generators—specifically diesel and bunker fuel thermal power plants,” the group said.
“Once the system experiences forced outages of several baseload power plants, the price of electricity will significantly increase to ensure the continuity of electricity supply and to prevent any brownouts or blackouts,” it added. INQ
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