Coal plant outages put Visayas grid on yellow alert on Aug. 3

The Visayas power grid in the Philippines operated under a yellow alert for three hours on Monday, August 3, due to unexpected shutdowns at several coal-fired power plants. The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) issued the alert from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., indicating a tight supply situation.

During the yellow alert, the available power capacity was 2,478 megawatts, while the projected peak demand reached 2,327 megawatts. This left a narrow operating margin of only 151 megawatts, which is insufficient to meet the required contingency reserves. A yellow alert does not automatically mean power outages will occur, but it signals a strained power supply.

Several key power generation units were identified as unavailable. These include Therma Visayas Inc. Units 1 and 2, Kepco SPC Power Corp. Unit 1, and Cebu Energy Development Corp. Unit 1. The NGCP also reported that over 20 other generating units were on forced outage, with some having been offline since 2021. Additionally, 16 units were operating below their full capacity.

In contrast, the Luzon grid, the country's largest power system, remained under normal conditions despite the passage of Tropical Depression Luis, which brought wind signals to several areas in Northern Luzon. The NGCP stated it had prepared resources, including communications equipment, repair materials, and positioned line crews, to quickly address any potential restoration needs.