NGCP may implement rotational brownouts on June 2 in parts of Luzon, Metro Manila

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said Wednesday it is set to implement rotational brownouts in some parts of Luzon and Metro Manila as power supply continues to be deficient.

In an advisory, NGCP said it may implement manual load dropping (MLD) in the following areas from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. to “maintain the integrity of the power system”:

• LUELCO (parts of La Union and Pangasinan)
• QUEZELCO I (parts of Quezon)
• CASURECO II (parts of Camarines Sur)
• MERALCO (parts of Metro Manila)

Meanwhile, an MLD may be implement from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the following:

• ISECO (parts of Ilocos Sur)
• QUEZELCO I (parts of Quezon)
• APEC (parts of Albay)
• MERALCO (parts of Metro Manila)

Rotational brownouts may also be implemented from 11 a.m. to 12 noon in the following:

• CAGELCO II (parts of Cagayan)
• PELCO I (parts of Pampanga)
• APEC (parts of Albay)
• MERALCO (parts of Metro Manila)

[READ: Schedule of rotational power interruptions in Meralco franchise area on June 2, 2021]

An MLD is defined as the process of cutting off power in areas served at a specific time due to power supply shortage.

“Schedule may be cancelled if system condition improves, such as if actual demand falls below projections,” the NGCP said.

The grid operator placed the Luzon grid under Yellow Alert from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., and from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m.; and Red Alert from a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., indicating that there is zero ancillary services or a generation deficiency exists. 

Available capacity is at 11,260 megawatts while the operating requirement is at 11,976MW, resulting in an operating margin deficiency of -716.

The NGCP encouraged power consumers to exercise prudence in using electricity.

The grid operator earlier said that rotational brownouts may be expected for the entire first week of June amid thin power supply resulting from planned and unplanned outages of several power plants.  —KBK, GMA News