Iloilo City Prepares for Scheduled Power Interruption on March 1, 2026
Maintenance personnel are actively preparing equipment in anticipation of a scheduled power interruption announced by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). This planned outage will affect specific portions of Iloilo City on March 1, 2026, as part of ongoing facility maintenance efforts. The interruption is set to impact selected villages across City Proper, La Paz, and Lapuz, with durations varying between 12 hours and three hours.
Details of the Power Interruption Schedule
NGCP has outlined a detailed schedule for the maintenance-related power interruption. A 12-hour outage is scheduled from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., primarily affecting La Paz Feeders 1 and 4. Areas facing this extended interruption include the entirety of Barangay Concepcion-Montes, Legaspi-Dela Rama, Santo Rosario-Duran, General Hughes-Montes, Monica Bluementritt, Veterans Village, and Zamora Melliza, all located within City Proper. Additionally, portions of Barangay Muelle Loney-Montes and Ortiz in City Proper, along with Barangay Baldoza and Ingore in La Paz, and Barangay Loboc in Lapuz, will experience the 12-hour outage.
Separately, a three-hour interruption is planned from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. This shorter outage will cover the whole of La Paz Feeders 2, 3, 5, and 7, as well as portions of La Paz Feeders 1 and 4. Affected areas for this schedule include the entire Barangay Bo. Obrero, Jalandoni Estate, Lapuz Norte, Libertad, Mansaya, Progress, and Sinikway in Lapuz. Portions of multiple barangays in City Proper, La Paz, and Lapuz will also be impacted.
Maintenance and Restoration Efforts
NGCP emphasized that this interruption is essential for conducting clearing operations on several power lines to prevent unscheduled outages in the coming months. Technical teams will implement a necessary switching sequence to stabilize the load and normalize distribution once NGCP facilities are fully restored. According to the advisory, power supply is expected to return immediately after maintenance completion, with efforts to restore power within an hour after full restoration of NGCP facilities. NGCP also noted that power may be restored earlier than scheduled if maintenance works are completed ahead of time.
Consumers with concerns are encouraged to contact More Power through its helpline numbers or official Facebook page for assistance during the interruption period.
More Power Announces Reduction in Electricity Rates
In related news, More Power has announced a significant reduction in electricity rates for February. The residential rate has decreased by P1.06 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), bringing it down to P11.60 per kWh from P12.66 per kWh in January. This reduction means that households consuming an average of 200 kWh per month may save approximately P212 on their electricity bills.
The utility attributed this decrease to a notable drop in prices at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), where rates declined from P6.46 per kWh to P3.40 per kWh. Additionally, the system loss rate decreased by P0.06 per kWh due to a reduction in the overall cost of power. Factors contributing to these lower rates include fewer outages at generation plants and record-low demand. However, More Power noted a slight increase of P0.07 per kWh in transmission charges, resulting from upward movements in the cost of regulated transmission services provided by the National Government.
Commercial rates for February also saw a decline, dropping to P10.7317 per kWh from P11.7958 per kWh in January. This overall reduction in electricity costs provides some relief to consumers amidst the scheduled maintenance interruptions.
