The Visayas power grid is under a yellow alert from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, June 19, due to insufficient operating reserves. According to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), high demand and the unavailability of several large coal-fired plants have strained the supply, meaning further plant outages may cause brownouts.
Why is the Visayas power supply currently strained?
The NGCP attributed the alert to a high demand forecast and the unavailability of several large coal-fired power plants, including TVI Units 1 and 2, PEDC Unit 3, and KSPC Unit 1. Available capacity is currently pegged at 2,523 megawatts (MW). This is only slightly above the projected peak demand of 2,476 MW.
Why are so many power plants unavailable?
The NGCP reported that as of June 19, 30 power plants are on forced outage. An additional 13 plants are operating at reduced capacity. These combined conditions have rendered a total of 995.7 MW unavailable to the grid.
What are the implications of a yellow alert?
A yellow alert means the current supply can still meet demand. However, the NGCP warns that additional plant outages may cause brownouts. The Visayas grid has faced recurring supply challenges in recent months because of prolonged outages at several generating units.
