TACLOBAN CITY – After over five hours of darkness due to widespread power interruption that affected parts of Eastern and Central Visayas, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reported that they have normalized the power around 5:00 a.m. Saturday (August 21).
Local electric cooperatives were unable to relay information regarding the cause of the interruption, however, several reports indicate a trip off along NGCP's transmission lines from Quiot, Pardo to Colon, Naga in Cebu as the initial cause.
However, the root cause is yet to be determined.
NGCP is responsible for the operation of the transmission grid or system that distributes electricity from power plants and generation companies to the electric cooperatives and distribution utilities.
Its lines are interconnected that affect many places in case there is a major disturbance.
Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi asks NGCP to immediately address the partial system blackout being experienced by electricity consumers in Visayas.
“We are asking the NGCP, who is responsible for system operations, to provide the immediate remedy to this ‘system failure’, to explain to its customers the reason for this, and to prevent this from happening again,” Secretary Cusi urged.
The DOE has also called the attention of the Energy Regulatory Commission, the regulator of the Philippine power industry, to look into the matter.
As of 7 a.m., some parts of Leyte have experienced another power interruption with no updates yet from electric cooperatives.