The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has been ordered to submit a full accounting of the power supply disruptions that have affected the Luzon and the Visayas grids since Tuesday.
In separate statements on Thursday, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said the directive aims to address the incidents that have disrupted electricity supply and affected millions of consumers.
“The DOE is focused on ensuring stable power supply, protecting consumers, and enforcing accountability across the power sector,” Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said.
“The public deserves a full and transparent accounting of the incidents that led to these grid alerts, and we are requiring NGCP to comply fully with all reportorial and regulatory obligations."
The DOE said its technical teams are independently verifying the status of affected generating units and transmission facilities to determine whether NGCP and concerned generation companies complied with dispatch instructions and restoration timelines during the alert period.
“The DOE will continue to closely monitor grid conditions in both Luzon and Visayas, assess residual supply risks, and coordinate with NGCP, the ERC, the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP), distribution utilities, and all concerned generation companies to ensure the full restoration of supply adequacy,” the agency said.
ERC Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Francis Saturnino Juan visited the System Operations Command Center to personally verify the condition of the country’s transmission grid.
Juan said consumers deserve “a clear and comprehensive account” of the incidents behind the alert declarations.
“Visiting the System Operations Command Center enabled us to closely observe the situation and ensure that the commission bases its actions on verified information rather than assumptions,” he said.
On Thursday alone, the Luzon grid was placed under red alert status from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. due to insufficient capacity to meet consumer demand and maintain the transmission grid’s regulating requirements.
Available capacity in the Luzon grid was estimated at 12,464 megawatts (MW), lower than the projected peak demand of 12,877 MW.
The Visayas grid was likewise placed under red alert status from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., largely due to the forced outages of several generating units from various power plants.
Available capacity in the Visayas grid stood at 2,377 MW against peak demand of 2,552 MW.*
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