The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has announced that the Visayas grid is under a yellow alert from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM today, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. According to the NGCP, the available capacity is at 2,691 megawatts, while peak demand is estimated at 2,438 megawatts. This means the operating margin is insufficient to meet the contingency requirement of the transmission grid.
Reasons Behind the Alert
The NGCP explained that several power plants in the Visayas are on forced outage, including major coal plants TVI 1, TVI 2, and PEDC 3, causing a significant supply shortage. Additionally, 13 plants are running at derated capacities, resulting in 852.1 megawatts unavailable for the grid. The high expected demand on the system is also a reason for placing the Visayas grid under yellow alert.
What This Means for Consumers
A yellow alert is typically issued when power reserves are insufficient to meet demand in the event of a sudden failure. Although this does not necessarily mean rotating brownouts will occur, the NGCP advises the public to be prepared for possible effects of the power supply shortage.
