The power supply situation in the Visayas could stabilize by the end of August as major coal-fired power plants in the region and Mindanao resume commercial operations, according to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza stated during a media briefing on Friday that ongoing power supply constraints in the Visayas continue due to the shutdown of several power plants.
Visayas Grid Placed Under Successive Red and Yellow Alerts
The power constraints led to the Visayas grid being placed under red alerts for five consecutive days, accompanied by a series of yellow alerts. Similar power alerts were raised over the Mindanao grid during the week, though Mindanao experienced a red alert only once. On Friday, the NGCP placed both grids under power alerts, which included a red alert in the Visayas running from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
A yellow alert indicates that available power supply can still meet demand but leaves little reserve, which makes the grid vulnerable to brownouts if a power plant goes offline. A red alert means available power is insufficient to meet demand, heightening the risk of rotational brownouts unless demand is reduced.
Impact of Plant Shutdowns and Mindanao Power Imports
The supply issues in the Visayas were further aggravated by an unplanned outage at another power facility in Mindanao, a region from which the Visayas imports electricity. Alabanza noted during the briefing that the grid operator expects the last two big plants in TVI to return online this month on August 22 and August 30, referring to the two units of Therma Visayas Inc. in Cebu.
“Assuming that no further plants go on unplanned shutdowns and assuming that the plants in Mindanao regularize, then we should also see Visayas normalize by Aug. 30,” Alabanza said. In contrast, the power situation in Luzon remains stable because that grid does not rely on power from the Visayas and Mindanao.
Infrastructure Limits and Sector Coordination
Addressing the persistent grid alerts, Alabanza reiterated that even if the country has “longer, bigger, more efficient lines, if your problem is supply, then the grid alerts will not stop.” “Regardless of how many lines NGCP has completed, and we have completed many big-ticket projects over the years, the red alerts seem to be not stopping. They seem to persist,” she said.
The NGCP official emphasized that the development of the three key segments of the power sector—transmission, distribution, and generation—must “be kept in time with each other to prevent red alerts or disturbances to the grid.”