Visayas Grid Under Yellow Alert Due to Coal-Fired Plant Outages
The Visayas grid was placed under yellow alert status on Wednesday from 4 p.m. To 9 p.m. Following the continued unavailability of generating units at several major coal-fired power plants.
In an advisory from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the grid’s available capacity was reported to be approximately 2,552 megawatts (MW), while projected peak demand is expected to reach 2,392 MW.
Capacity Shortages and Forced Outages
The alert was attributed to high demand occurring alongside insufficient capacity. The NGCP traced the shortage to the forced outage of the following units:
- Therma Visayas Inc.: Units 1 and 2
- Panay Energy Development Corporation: Unit 3
- KEPCO-SPC Power Corporation: Unit 2
The NGCP reported that 10 plants have been on forced outage during this month alone. This includes nine plants since May, one since March, three since 2025, two since 2024, two since 2023, and one since 2021.
In addition to these forced outages, nine other plants are currently operating at derated capacities, which has resulted in a total loss of 985.5 MW to the grid.
Significance and Outlook
The combination of multiple forced outages and plants running at reduced capacities has created a narrow margin between available supply and projected peak demand. Because the grid is operating with thin reserves, the Visayas region could see continued alert statuses if the unavailability of these generating units persists or if demand continues to rise.
