Shorter power outages are expected starting the first half of September, but an upward trend in prices is anticipated, a Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC) official said Monday, Sept. 7.
NEPC Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Joe-Mel Zaporteza explained during a press conference that daily rotating brownouts have been caused by a power supply shortage in the Visayas grid.
Three coal units have been offline since May 13, taking 488 megawatts off the Visayas grid, while another 268 MW of capacity is running below its rating, triggering supply shortages, he said.
This shortage has prompted yellow alerts issued when supply is sufficient but reserves are low and red alerts, which occur when supply is insufficient, triggering rotational brownouts, he explained.
Power supply conditions are expected to improve in the first half of September as some power plants return online and demand drops following the peak summer months, Zaporteza said. Additional power plants are expected to resume operations toward the latter part of the year.
The severe power shortages occurred in August due to plants undergoing preventive maintenance, forcing manual load dropping for up to three hours. Zaporteza noted that consumers can expect shorter brownouts in the coming months, with further improvement anticipated by December.
As a distribution utility, NEPC relies solely on the power delivered by generation plants. While supply options are limited, Zaporteza emphasized that the company is actively seeking available power from smaller generators to mitigate deficits.
Addressing power rates, Zaporteza clarified that power suppliers, not NEPC, dictate prices.
Because the market is unregulated, prices fluctuate based on supply and demand dynamics, he said, rising when supply drops and demand increases.
“We’re looking at an upward trend in prices,” he said, while clarifying that consumers are not billed for electricity during power outages.*
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