National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has scheduled a yellow alert for the Visayas grid from the afternoon to evening of Tuesday, Aug. 5, due to unplanned power outages and a high system demand in the region.
The Visayas grid was placed on yellow alert from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., as there have been a total of 733.5 megawatts (MW) worth of unavailable capacity to the grid.
This advisory, as of 1:30 p.m., came after several unplanned power plant shutdowns and derated capacities.
According to NGCP, 11 plants have been out from April to August. Six other plants have been down since 2023, while six of these plants in Visayas are already running on derated capacities.
Additionally, the increase in demand has pushed the grid to go on yellow alert status, which is only issued when the operating margin is not enough to meet the transmission grid’s contingency requirement.
NGCP noted that the peak demand has reached 2,475 MW, while the available capacity is at 2,528 MW.
The grid corporation assured that the Luzon and Mindanao grids are in normal condition.
On Monday, the NGCP placed the region under a yellow alert due to an unavailable capacity of 591 MW. The alert lasted from 6:00 p.m. to 7:38 p.m.
The Department of Energy (DOE) said it will issue a statement soon, following the fluctuating yellow alert status of the Visayas grid since Aug. 1.
"We are monitoring and coordinating efforts relative to the yellow alert status of the Visayas grid," Energy Undersecretary Mario Marasigan told Manila Bulletin.