NGCP lifts yellow alert over Visayas grid as power supply stabilizes
MANILA, Philippines – The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) lifted the yellow alert over the Visayas grid on Thursday, November 20, after available generation capacity improved and operating margins returned to safe levels.
As of 1 pm, the Visayas grid had 3,044 megawatts (MW) of available capacity against a projected 2,325 MW demand, easing concerns after two consecutive days of tight supply.
A yellow alert is declared when operating reserves fall below the required contingency level, indicating that supply is strained but not yet critical enough to trigger rotating power interruptions. The alert serves as a warning signal to both the public and power sector stakeholders, especially during periods of high demand or when generating units go offline.
The Visayas grid has been under pressure throughout the week, with yellow alerts raised on Wednesday from 3 pm to 8 pm and again earlier Thursday from 5 pm to 7 pm, following multiple plant outages. Among the biggest contributors to the tight supply was the prolonged shutdown of TVI Unit 2, which accounts for 169 MW.
The NGCP said the Luzon and Mindanao grids remain normal, with sufficient operating reserves.
The power alerts come as Visayas enters its pre-holiday demand uptick, a period when electricity consumption typically rises and any unplanned shutdowns heighten the risk of supply instability.
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