NGCP: Expect more red, yellow alerts this summer

MANILA, Philippines — The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said more red or yellow alerts could be issued during the summer months, as unplanned plant outages threaten power supply.

NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said in a briefing Wednesday that such “worst-case” scenario could not be ruled out especially if more power plants go on unexpected shutdowns.

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In a yellow alert, power supply can still meet demand, but brownouts can happen as a result once a plant breaks down. A red alert, meanwhile, means that supply is no longer sufficient to meet demand. Brownouts are more likely to happen if demand is not managed.

“Now, as to when that will happen and the extent and severity of those alerts, we cannot say for now because that is what we are discussing with the Department of Energy (DOE),” Alabanza said.

On March 5, NGCP declared a yellow alert on the Luzon grid—marking the first alert issued this year.

The grid operator said that since February, eight plants have been on forced outage, while four more plants have been inoperative since 2024. Sixteen other facilities were running on lower output than what they were originally designed for.

Power outlook adjustment

Alabanza said NGCP and the DOE were “in the process of assessing and adjusting” their power outlook after witnessing a surge in demand.

Data from the DOE earlier showed power demand this year may go up by 5.4 percent to 14,769 megawatts (MW) in Luzon; 16 percent to 3,111 MW for the Visayas; and 8.2 percent to 2,789 MW for Mindanao.

Energy officials previously said Filipinos may see better power conditions this year in the absence of El Niño, which triggered power interruptions last year following a spike in demand. They said more capacities were also expected to boost supply.

A total of 6,841 MW is expected to go online this year. The plants are mostly in Luzon.