Mindanao: A red alert was issued for the Mindanao grid Tuesday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m, following the tripping of Unit 2 of the 50-megawatt (MW) Minergy Coal in Misamis Oriental.
According to Philippines News Agency, a jump in expected demand also contributed to the alert status, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said in an advisory. Thus, the yellow alert in the grid remains, now from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The grid's available capacity declined to around 2,673 MW from 2,805 MW this morning, while peak demand is expected to rise to around 2,639 MW from 2,627 MW earlier. NGCP reported that 10 power plants in Mindanao are unavailable this month alone, while 14 others have been out of service as far back as 2024. It stated that five plants are operating at derated capacities, reducing the total supply by around 756.9 MW.
NGCP issues a red alert when available capacity is insufficient to meet demand and the grid's regulating requirement, while a yellow alert is issued when the operating margin is inadequate to meet contingency requirements.
For the Visayas grid, the red alert now runs from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m., extended from its earlier timeframe of 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., due to supply issues. The yellow alert, meanwhile, is now in effect from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. The available capacity is now at 2,258 MW, lower than the 2,400 MW earlier, while peak demand is now at 2,589 MW, up from 2,507 MW.
