Cebu city: The Visayas grid continues to experience red and yellow alerts due to the continued unavailability of several coal-fired power plants, along with limited electricity imports from the Mindanao grid. The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGPC) on Friday estimated the Visayas grid's available capacity at 2,307 megawatts (MW) and projected its peak demand to rise to about 2,402 MW. It thus raised the red alert from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and the yellow alert from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
According to Philippines News Agency, the NGCP issues a yellow alert when the operating margin is not enough to meet the grid's contingency requirement, and a red alert when supply runs short of consumer demand and the grid's regulating requirement. The Visayas grid has been experiencing yellow and red alerts since the summer months, when demand has been high and more hydropower plants are undergoing maintenance. The NGCP said several coal-fired power plants, such as Therma Visayas, Inc. and the Kepco SPC Power Corp., have been on forced outage, contributing to the supply issue in the grid.
For August alone, 10 power plants were unavailable, while 20 others have not been working for the past five years. Power supply is also limited because 16 other power plants are operating on derated capacities, bringing the total loss to the grid to about 979.6 MW.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, meanwhile, called on the NGCP, as well as distribution utilities, to ensure grid resiliency and preparedness for inclement weather conditions. Gatchalian made the call amid repeated grid strain, highlighted by persistent red and yellow alerts, during the recent southwest monsoon due to plant outages and high system demand.
'Preparedness must go beyond response. Our power infrastructure must be resilient enough to withstand extreme weather and minimize prolonged outages,' he said in a statement. Gatchalian cited the Electric Cooperatives Emergency Resiliency Fund (ECERF) Act, which he authored, as an example of a measure requiring electric cooperatives to implement resiliency plans to prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies.
The Senate leader noted that reliable electricity during adverse weather is crucial to ensure the continued operations of health facilities, schools, critical infrastructure and other essential facilities, as well as businesses, particularly micro and small enterprises such as convenience stores, small medical clinics and local bakeries. He emphasized that the NGCP and distribution utilities should ensure they are well-equipped to repair and rehabilitate facilities that may incur damage from heavy downpours, flooding and strong winds usually experienced during the cyclone season.
