Luzon grid on yellow alert as power reserves remain low

Residents in Luzon may have to conserve electricity on Thursday as the power reserves in the Luzon grid remained low on Thursday.

As of 6 a.m., the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said the power reserves for the Luzon grid were at 396 megawatts.

For Thursday, the NGCP projected a system capacity of 8,591 MW and a peak demand of 8,195 MW in the Luzon grid.

The NGCP defines a “yellow alert” as a system condition where the total reserve is less than the capacity of the largest plant online. For the Luzon grid, this is 647 MW.

In the Visayas, the NGCP projected a system capacity of 1,598 MW and peak demand of 1,514 MW, with a reserve of 84 MW.

For Mindanao, the NGCP projected a system capacity of 1,330 MW and a system peak demand of 1,400 MW, with a reserve of 30 MW.

A report on dzBB radio Thursday said the power reserves for Luzon may remain low for the day.

On Wednesday evening, GMA News' Julius Segovia reported on GMA News TV's "State of the Nation with Jessica Soho" that the NGCP raised the red alert in the Luzon grid briefly Wednesday.

This was due to problems with power plants supplying electricity to the grid.

The Department of Energy reminded the public to conserve energy even if the rainy season has started.

"Magtipid tayo kasi it doesn't guarantee na kahit sa wet season ay may supply ka anytime. Marami kasing factors na nakakaapekto sa supply ng kuryente," said Mylene Capongcol, director of the DOE's Electric Power Industry Management Bureau. — Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News