For the second consecutive day, the Luzon and Visayas power grids have been placed under red alert due to substantial outages that have dramatically reduced generating capacity. The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) announced the red alert status from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday.
Significant Capacity Shortfall in Luzon
The DoE’s top priority is to protect consumers and maintain grid stability. We have directed all concerned generation companies to expedite the restoration of affected units at the soonest possible time.
Sharon S. Garin, Energy Secretary
According to NGCP, outages led to a total of 4,459 megawatts (MW) of unavailable capacity in Luzon. Major natural gas plants in Batangas were called upon to help stabilize the grid. Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara confirmed that gas-fired plants were actively dispatched during this period.
In response to the significant supply shortfall, rotational power interruptions were implemented across affected areas. Regions such as Metro Manila, Albay, Baguio City, and parts of Cebu and Negros experienced outages.
This situation highlights ongoing issues in the Philippines' energy sector, particularly the reliability of power sources during peak demand. The government is under pressure to ensure stability as outages impact nearly 1.9 million customers served by Manila Electric Co..