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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider ERC, DOE inspect power plants as Visayas grid suffers 15th yellow alert amid thinning reserves

ERC, DOE inspect power plants as Visayas grid suffers 15th yellow alert amid thinning reserves

Published May 27, 2026 01:23 pm
(Photo by John Louie Abrina | Manila Bulletin)
(Photo by John Louie Abrina | Manila Bulletin)

Visayas grid was placed under its 15th consecutive yellow alert this month even after energy regulators launched on-site inspections of major power plants in the region to determine the causes of recent forced outages and accelerate the restoration of electricity supply.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said on Wednesday, May 27, that it recently joined the Department of Energy (DOE) in conducting spot inspections of the generating units of Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) in Toledo City, Cebu province, and Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) Unit 3 in Iloilo City.

The shutdown of these power units has continued to prevent the grid from maintaining the required reserve levels.

Visayas grid was first placed under yellow alert last May 12 before escalating to both red and yellow alerts the following day as system reserves tightened further.

As of Wednesday, National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) again placed the region under yellow alert from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Available capacity in the grid currently stands at 2,682 megawatts (MW), while peak demand is nearing 2,415 MW. Power demand is still expected to rise.

According to NGCP, 12 power plants have been on forced outage since May, while one plant has remained offline since March.

Three other plants have been out since 2025, two since 2024, and two more have been offline for the past three years.

Meanwhile, 12 power plants are operating on derated capacities.

In total, around 858.15 MW remains unavailable to Visayas grid.

The ERC said the joint inspections conducted last week formed part of the government’s continuing efforts to verify the operational condition of the affected generating units, ensure the implementation of corrective measures for their safe and immediate restoration, and assess compliance with operational and reliability standards.

During the height of the red alert period, manual load dropping or rotational brownouts had to be implemented in affected areas to preserve the integrity of the power system and prevent wider grid instability.

In the succeeding days, recurring yellow alerts continued as affected units remained offline alongside other unavailable and derated generating facilities in the region.

Regulators said the inspections underscore the commitment of the ERC and the DOE to protect consumers, promote accountability among regulated entities, and support measures aimed at restoring system reliability in Visayas region.

Through the site inspections, the agencies said they were able to directly validate plant conditions, engage with plant officials and technical personnel, and gather information necessary for further regulatory and operational assessment.

Moving forward, the ERC said it will continue coordinating closely with the DOE, NGCP, and generation companies to monitor the status of the affected facilities and pursue appropriate actions.

The commission reiterated its commitment to advancing a reliable, secure, and responsive power system for consumers in Visayas to help prevent similar supply strains in the future. - Gabriell Christel Galang

Related Tags

NGCP yellow alert Visayas ERC
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