Power interruptions loom over Visayas grid
MANILA, Philippines — Consumers in the Visayas may face another wave of brownouts on Thursday, as the grid operator placed the region under red alert amid persistent tight electricity supply.
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said the red alert status would be in effect from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The grid will also be under a yellow alert from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
READ: End to Visayas power woes possible by Aug. 30 – NGCP
A yellow alert indicates that available power reserves are thinning, meaning any unexpected plant outage could trigger service interruptions. A red alert indicates that supply cannot meet demand, heightening the chances of rotational brownouts unless people manage their consumption.
For the past days the NGCP has placed the Visayas under a series of power alerts, as some large coal plants remain offline, worsened by the limited imports from Mindanao.
READ: Visayas power woes highlight need for gridwide upgrade
On Wednesday, the NGCP said it implemented manual load dropping (MLD) in Bohol and Panay. MLD is a controlled and temporary power interruption in selected areas that helps maintain grid stability. The utility typically uses it to prevent a total blackout when supply is insufficient or demand surges. /pai
