Visayas grid on “yellow” alert as outages drain supply
MANILA, Philippines — The Visayas power grid is placed under yellow alert on Wednesday as numerous plant outages continue to strain available supply, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reported.
In an advisory issued at 8:30 a.m., the NGCP said the alert would be in effect from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., when demand is expected to peak.
Available capacity in the grid stands at 2,694 megawatts (MW), against an estimated peak demand of 2,351 MW.
The NGCP said a significant volume of capacity remained unavailable due to prolonged plant outages.
READ: Uwan downs power and communications, displaces over 63,000 in E. Visayas
What ‘yellow’ alert means
A yellow alert is issued when the operating margin of the grid becomes inadequate to cover contingencies, such as unexpected power plant shutdowns.
While the alert does not automatically trigger power interruptions, it signals thinner reserves and heightened risk should additional outages occur.
Fourteen power facilities have gone on forced outage at various times from April to November this year, while four units have been offline since 2024 and two others since 2023.
Another 14 plants are running on derated capacities, bringing total unavailable capacity to 898.6 MW.
READ: Power rate hikes loom as NGCP cleared to recoup P28.3B
Constraints
NGCP cited two major contributors to the alert. First is the continued unavailability of TVI Units 1 and 2, each with 169 MW capacity. Second is the emergency shutdown of LGPP Unit 3, which pushed the output of the plant down from 79.5 MW to 39.3 MW.
READ: NGCP completes restoration of Uwan-affected Luzon transmission lines
Despite the tight supply conditions in the Visayas, the NGCP said the Luzon and Mindanao grids remain under normal operating status./dda
