Gatchalian: NGCP must be held accountable for tripping of Bolo-Masinloc line

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) must be held accountable for Monday's power outages in some Luzon areas due to the elevation of grid status to red alert, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Tuesday.

“The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines should be held accountable for the tripping of the Bolo-Masinloc 230 kV Line 2 which resulted in the tripping of the Masinloc units 1 and 2 leading to the red and yellow alerts,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

The vice chairman of the Senate energy committee called the recent power outages in Luzon “reprehensible” as it caused great inconvenience to many Filipinos and encumbered businesses from operating properly at a time when the country continues to experience high levels of heat index.

“There can be no valid excuse for NGCP for its failure to conduct a comprehensive audit of its facilities given that system disturbances have already led to brownouts in Panay and Negros Islands just a month ago,” Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian emphasized that the NGCP should have been more proactive and forward-looking in the management of energy supply given that there are previous incidents that should have prompted them to anticipate and address possible power interruptions.

“The Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission should hold the NGCP accountable should they find any fault or negligence on the part of the transmission concessionaire,” he said.

He likewise called on the DOE, NGCP and power generation companies to coordinate closely when plants that are on forced outages will be able to go back online to minimize power interruption.

GMA News Online has reached out to NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza to react to Gatchalian's statement, but she has yet to respond as of posting time.

As a long-term solution, Gatchalian said the DOE must ensure full implementation of the Transmission Development Plan, which he said is designed to help identify and mitigate causes of power interruptions and transmission-related outages, as well as maximize the full potential of the Energy Virtual One Stop Shop (EVOSS) Law.

According to the senator, the EVOSS Law is aimed at reducing red tape, simplifying regulations and streamlining business processes of power generation, transmission, and distribution projects in the country.

Gatchalian also suggested to the DOE to implement the Grid Operating Grid Management Program to prepare for any planned outages of power-generating plants as well as transmission facilities.

On Monday afternoon, the NGCP placed the Luzon Grid on red alert and instructed Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to implement rotational brownouts after five power plants were on a forced outage amid the summer heat.

A red alert status indicates that there is zero ancillary service or that a generation deficiency exists, while a yellow alert status indicates that the grid has thin reserves.

The red alert for the Luzon Grid was lifted by 6 p.m. on Monday, but a yellow alert remained until 8 p.m., the NGCP said.

The DOE explained on Monday that the decrease in the power supply was caused by "the tripping of the Bolo-Masinloc 230 kV Line 2 which led to the tripping of Masinloc Units 1&2 (618 MW)." —Hana Bordey/KBK, GMA Integrated News