MANILA, Philippines — For the eighth time this year, the Visayas grid was placed under yellow alert yesterday due to tight electricity supply amid high system demand and power plant outages.
The yellow alert, issued when power reserves run low, was raised from 4 to 8 p.m., two hours longer than the initial 5 to 7 p.m. period.
Peak demand reached 2,503 megawatts, while available capacity was only 2,692 MW, according to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.
NGCP data showed that 18 power plants in the Visayas were offline while 15 others operated at a reduced capacity.
Over 800 MW of capacity was unavailable to the grid.
Climate and energy policy think tank Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) said the recurring grid alerts highlighted the vulnerability of the country’s power system, which relies heavily on a small number of large, centralized coal-powered plants.
“Until these power plants are brought back online, the capacity deficit will persist, and the yellow alert raised in the Visayas will likely remain,” the ICSC said.
The Department of Energy has warned that the recent grid alerts may increase power bills next month.
Consumer group Power for People Coalition challenged Energy Secretary Sharon Garin to ensure that no rate hikes are implemented.
The group called for a full investigation of all power generation and transmission companies involved in last week’s red and yellow alerts.
“Stronger penalties should be enforced for companies responsible for the rotating blackouts,” the group said.