The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has issued red and yellow alerts for the Luzon grid and a yellow alert for the Visayas grid due to insufficient power supply on May 29, 2024.

LUZON GRID

A red alert is in effect from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

A yellow alert is issued from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The peak demand in Luzon reached 12,430 megawatts while the available capacity stands at 12,60 megawatts.

VISAYAS GRID

A yellow alert is in effect from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The peak demand in Visayas reached 2,538 megawatts while the available capacity stands at 2,890 megawatts.

BACKGROUND

NGCP said, in Luzon, two plants have been on forced outage since 2023, three between January and March 2024, and 11 between April and May 2024. 

In Visayas, one plant has been on forced outage since 2022, two plants since 2023, one plant between January and March 2024, and 14 plants between April and May 2024.

According to NGCP, Luzon has six plants, and Visayas with 10 plants, operating at a lower capacity rate, leading to 3,177.3 megawatts unavailable to the Luzon grid, and 567.4 megawatts unavailable to the Visayas grid.

The red and yellow alerts in Luzon were caused by the forced outages at plants such as Pagbilao units 1, 2, and 3, QPPL, San Lorenzo 50, and Limay 7, along with derations at Sual 1, Sual 2, and Limay 8.

The yellow alert in the Visayas grid was caused by the unavailability of power export from Luzon and high forecasted demand.

A yellow alert is issued when the operating margin falls below the necessary level to meet the transmission grid’s contingency requirement.

A red alert indicates that the power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the transmission grid’s regulatory requirements.