POWER CONSUMERS in Luzon and the Visayas experienced disruptions on Wednesday after red and yellow alerts were issued in all grids following the outage. more than 5,500 megawatts (MW) of power capacity.
National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has placed the Luzon and Visayas grid under red alert from 3 pm to 8 pm, according to separate advisories.
Yellow alerts were also raised over the Luzon grid from 2pm to 3pm and from 8pm to 10pm, while the Visayas grid was under yellow alert from 8pm to 9pm.
A red alert is issued when the available energy supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and reserve requirements, while a yellow alert is declared when operating costs fall below the required level of an emergency.
NGCP said 4,681.6 MW of capacity was not available in the Luzon grid during this period, leaving the available capacity at 12,447 MW compared to the peak demand of 12,537 MW.
The Visayas grid, which imports power from Luzon, had an available capacity of 2,510 MW, just above the peak demand of 2,413 MW.
A grid operator said 21 power stations were in placefline, while 15 others are operating at reduced capacities, resulting in a combined loss of 862.3 MW in the Visayas.
Visayas notices were also linked to the forced shutdown of coal-fired units operated by Therma Visayas, Inc. (TVI) and Panay Energy Development Corp.
Gerry C. Arances, organizer of the Power for People Coalition, said the grid’s warnings show the dangers of continuing to rely on coal plants.
“If TVI and other coal plants cannot be trusted to deliver their current capacity, their ability to provide reliable power in the future must be questioned,” he said in a statement.
The consumer group also called on government agencies, regulators and energy companies to reveal the causes of repeated grid warnings and outline long-term measures to address energy insecurity.
“Consumers deserve accountability, not excuses repeated every summer,” said Mr Arances.
In a separate statement, the alliance said the looming threat of brownouts between red and yellow alerts on the Luzon grid is yet another burden placed on ordinary Filipino consumers who are already enduring rising electricity rates, extreme heat, and rising costs of living.
It said that 72% of the power lost in the Luzon grid came from coal and gas, while most of the power plants that were forced to be interrupted were petroleum plants, especially the units of the Ilihan gas plant with 600 megawatts each.
“Power outages are not just disruptions,” said the group. “They disrupt livelihoods, endanger vulnerable sectors such as the elderly, children and sick people, affect students and workers and threaten the operation of hospitals,carrying goods and essential services.”
The Center for Energy, Ecology and Development separately said that local communities and environmental organizations have urged financial institutions to review support for the expansion of the TVI coal plant amid ongoing supply problems and rising coal prices.
Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin ordered the NGCP to immediately fix the transmission bottlenecks that are limiting the transmission of electricity to large power plants.
The Department of Energy said the 500-kilovolt Tayabas-Ilijan and Dasmariñas-Ilijan power lines tripped, cutting off several generating units from the grid.
The agency asked NGCP to provide details on transmission failures and related incidents.
The shortage of supply made the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) implemented rotating brownouts lasting up to three hours in parts of Metro Manila, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.
More than 200,000 customers were affected.
Meralco said it has also launched its Interruptible Load program, where large commercial and industrial customers voluntarily switch to generator sets to reduce demand on the grid.
As of 3:40 p.m., the utility said it has received more than 240 MW of load shedding capacity under the program.
The NGCP also warned that manual load shedding may be implemented in Abra and parts of Ilocos Sur, Bataan, Pampanga, Batangas, Metro Manila, Albay, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur to maintain grid stability.
The Luzon grid last received a red alert on June 1, 2024, while the country recorded nine yellow alerts last year. – Sheldeen Joy Talavera
