Cebu: Three units of the thermal plants of Meralco PowerGen Corporation’s (MGEN) subsidiaries in the Visayas have been restored and synchronized to the grid after these tripped following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit Cebu Tuesday night. In a statement Wednesday, MGEN said ‘no significant damage has been found in either facility’, referring to the two units of the Cebu Energy Development Corporation (CEDC) and one unit of the Toledo Power Company (TPC).

According to Philippines News Agency, the remaining unit is undergoing inspection and will be brought back online progressively. It said the 219.7MW CEDC and the 73MW TPC ‘were promptly inspected by technical teams.’ These power plants, according to the statement, ‘tripped as a safety precaution during the seismic event.’

MGEN also assured the public that all units of their Panay-based power plants were not affected by the earthquake and continue normal operations. All personnel in Visayas are likewise safe and accounted for. MGEN is closely coordinating with the Department of Energy (DOE), National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, and local authorities to support system stability and help meet the power needs of Cebu and the Visayas grid.

The safety of employees and host communities remains a top priority for MGEN. They will provide further updates as needed. In a separate statement, the DOE confirmed earlier reports by the NGCP that 27 power generating plants in the Visayas tripped after the quake hit Cebu, resulting in the loss of around 1,444 MW from the grid.

This situation led to NGCP’s decision to place the Visayas grid under a yellow alert status since the available capacity of 1,888 MW is so thin against a peak demand of 1,839 MW. With the safety and stability of electricity services as a top priority, the Department, upon the instructions of the President, is closely coordinating with power generation, transmission, and distribution stakeholders to carry out comprehensive assessments, protect lifeline infrastructure, and ensure the continuity of electricity supply for affected communities.