DOE to power generators: Resolve plant issues, return to grid as red alerts grip Luzon, Visayas

The Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday ordered power generation companies to resolve plant issues immediately and bring back unavailable capacities as Luzon and the Visayas grid were crippled by thinning reserves resulting from plant outages.

In a statement, the DOE said the directive was issued following the declaration of yellow and red alerts in the Visayas and Luzon grids due to elevated demand brought upon by prevailing weather conditions, plant deration, and forced outages.

Red and yellow alerts were hoisted anew over Luzon and the Visayas grids on Thursday afternoon still due to due to forced outages and derated capacity of several plants.

The Luzon grid is running at an available capacity of 12,479 megawatts (MW) against a peak demand of 12, 595 MW.

This was amid the forced outage of 17 plants since March 2026, three since 2025, two since 2024, and one since 2019 while 14 plants are running on derated capacities, for a total of 4,242.5 MW unavailable to the grid.

Meanwhile, the Visayas grid running at an available capacity of 2,413 MW against a peak demand of 2,541 MW; as 11 plants are on forced outage since March 2026, four since 2025, two since 2024, two since 2023, and one since 2021, while 12 are running on derated capacities, for a total of 866.7 MW unavailable to the grid.

A red alert status is issued when the power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the transmission grid’s regulating requirement.

Meanwhile, a yellow alert indicates that the operating margin is insufficient to meet the transmission grid's contingency requirement

“The DOE encourages industries and government offices to practice energy efficiency measures, especially during peak hours,” the Energy Department said.

The agency added it has issued an advisory directing all Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EEC) Professionals of Government Entities (GEs) to strictly implement and intensify energy efficiency and conservation measures in their respective offices, buildings, and facilities.

“The DOE emphasized the vital role of government entities in supporting grid stability and reliability by strengthening the implementation of energy-saving initiatives and ensuring the efficient use of electricity across public sector operations,” it said. — RSJ, GMA News