NGCP extends Visayas power alert

CEBU, Philippines — A yellow alert remained in effect over the Visayas grid on Monday, May 18, 2026, after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) extended the alert status due to a significant increase in projected electricity demand.

In an advisory issued at 2:30 p.m., NGCP announced that the yellow alert would remain in force from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. yesterday.

The Visayas grid recorded an available capacity of 2,683 megawatts (MW) against a peak demand of 2,585 MW, leaving only a thin operating margin in the system.

According to NGCP, the extension of the yellow alert was prompted by a surge in forecasted system demand of as much as 137 MW.

A yellow alert is declared when the operating margin is insufficient to meet the grid’s contingency requirements, indicating tight power supply conditions and increased vulnerability to unexpected outages or sudden spikes in electricity demand.

NGCP also reported that several power plants remain offline or are operating below normal capacity, further straining the Visayas power supply.

Data showed that 12 power plants have been on forced outage since May 2026, while one plant has been offline since March 2026. Three other plants have remained unavailable since 2025, two since 2024, two since 2023, and one since 2021.

In addition, 12 power plants are currently operating at derated capacities.

Altogether, the outages and reduced capacities resulted in 845.2 MW being unavailable to the Visayas grid.

As of press time, NGCP had yet to announce whether the yellow alert would be lifted later in the evening as system conditions continued to be monitored.

Meanwhile, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin explained during a virtual press conference that the disruption stemmed from the loss of the Dasmariñas 500-kilovolt transmission line, a critical backbone that delivers power to Metro Manila.

Garin said the grid system is designed with redundancy, allowing another major line, such as the Tayabas line, to carry the load if one fails. However, shortly after the Dasmariñas line tripped, the Tayabas line also went offline.

The simultaneous outage resulted in the loss of around 4,000 MW of transmission capability, preventing electricity generated by major facilities in the Ilijan and Excellent Energy Resources, Inc. (EERI) complexes from reaching the grid.

“These plants are among the key sources of electricity not only for Metro Manila but for the entire Luzon grid,” Garin said.

She added that the loss of both major 500-kV lines disrupted the flow of electricity across the Luzon backbone, effectively isolating major power sources and preventing supply from reaching key demand centers.

According to Garin, the disruption affected about 12 percent of Luzon’s total power capacity, triggering grid instability and contributing to a series of yellow and red alerts over several days.

The incident also affected interconnections between Luzon and Visayas, as Luzon typically exports excess electricity to the Visayas grid. With reduced available capacity, Luzon was unable to provide its usual support, contributing to wider system stress.

Garin stressed that grid stability depends on the coordinated performance of generation, transmission, and distribution systems, noting that failure in one segment can affect the entire network.

She said the DOE is now reviewing the incident and examining possible accountability and system improvements to prevent similar large-scale disruptions in the future.

The energy secretary added that all stakeholders in the power sector—including generation companies, the transmission operator, and distribution utilities—are bound by law and contractual obligations to ensure reliable service and must be held accountable for system failures.

Garin also said the DOE directed NGCP to submit a full incident report in accordance with grid operation rules to clarify the sequence of events that led to the alerts in Luzon and Visayas.

Last Friday, the DOE mobilized a Grid Reliability Task Force composed of the market operator, transmission operator, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) to investigate the root cause of the disruptions.

The DOE is likewise coordinating with factories and key industries to ensure business continuity, with discussions involving the Department of Trade and Industry and the DOE’s Energy Utilization Management Bureau.

Garin said the department is studying options for industrial consumers, including improved coordination during power interruptions, possible own-use generation facilities, and expanded net metering arrangements to strengthen overall grid resilience.

On long-term energy security for Cebu and the Visayas grid, Garin said several generation and transmission projects are in the pipeline to improve supply reliability.

She noted that new power plants are being developed in key areas, including Toledo City in Cebu and additional facilities in Panay.

“These projects are intended to address the geographic limitations of the grid, particularly in areas like Panay which are located at the end of transmission lines and are more vulnerable to supply constraints,” she said.

Garin emphasized the need for balanced energy development across the grid, ensuring that power generation is not concentrated in a single area but supported by facilities at both ends of transmission lines.

“These are incoming plants, but it takes time to build a power plant—around three to five years for coal projects, while others may be completed in one to two years depending on the technology and stage of development,” she added.

The DOE chief also highlighted Visayas’ progress in renewable energy integration, noting that around 40 to 50 percent of the region’s capacity already comes from renewable sources.

However, she acknowledged that the high share of renewable energy also poses challenges due to intermittency, especially for solar power which depends on weather conditions.

To address this, the DOE has issued policies promoting battery energy storage systems (BESS) to help stabilize supply.

“Pag may solar ka, kailangan may battery ka,” officials said, stressing the importance of storage systems in regulating intermittent generation and supporting grid stability.

Garin said these initiatives form part of the government’s broader effort to transition the Visayas toward cleaner energy while maintaining reliability and adequacy of supply.

She also emphasized that improvements in energy security are being implemented on a staged, multi-year timeline rather than through immediate deployment.

On the possible impact of grid alerts on electricity rates, Garin clarified that there is no direct correlation between yellow or red alerts and retail power price adjustments.

“Technically, there’s no direct correlation to that. Because it’s not about the rates, it’s more of the delivery of the power to the household,” she said.

However, she acknowledged that during red alerts, the system may be forced to dispatch more expensive generating units, such as diesel and other peaking plants, to maintain supply.

While these plants account for only a small portion of the overall generation mix, Garin said they could exert minimal upward pressure on costs depending on the duration of their operation.

“Potentially, there will be an increase if ever. But these are very small plants,” an official said.

DOE Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara also disclosed that the department plans to conduct a green energy auction in the Visayas and Mindanao grids, focusing particularly on solar power projects to expand renewable energy capacity.

She said solar energy is being prioritized because of its relatively faster development timeline compared to other power sources.

However, Guevara emphasized that renewable expansion must be complemented by other power plants to ensure grid stability.

The DOE is also studying the inclusion of mid-merit power plants, likely natural gas facilities, in both the Visayas and Mindanao grids to balance the growing share of intermittent renewable energy.

Garin reiterated that the government’s long-term energy strategy aims to achieve a power supply that is not only clean, but also reliable and affordable.— FPL CEBU NEWS