Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 31) — Residents in parts of Luzon had to endure rotating power outages Monday afternoon amid limited power supply in the Luzon grid.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the regional power grid on red alert from 1 to 3 p.m., which meant rotating blackouts to manage thin supply and growing demand.
In Metro Manila, large numbers of residents in Caloocan, Manila, Muntinlupa, Marikina, Paranaque, Pasay, Pasig, Taguig, Valenzuela, and Quezon City were affected.
Supply interruptions also affected residents of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Isabela, Olongapo City, Camarines Sur and the entire Quirino province from 1 to 2 p.m. and in portions of Ilocos Norte, La Union, Zambales, Quezon, Camarines Norte, and Albay between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., NGCP and power distributor Meralco said in separate advisories.
A grid on red alert means there is not enough power supply to meet the projected energy demand. Meanwhile, a yellow alert means available reserves are thin.
The Department of Energy said the rotational blackouts started at 1:04 p.m. Monday. The outages should not last beyond an hour, DOE Undersecretary and spokesman Wimpy Fuentebella said in a press briefing. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi did not attend the virtual news conference as he was attending a political event of PDP-Laban in Cebu City.
Peak demand was projected at 11,478 MW against 11,971 MW of available supply as of 2 p.m. Unplanned shutdowns of power plants led to a 1,285 MW reduction in supply, while rising temperatures led to greater demand for electricity.
“Kung mas mainit [If the temperature increases] by 1 degree Celsius, there’s more requirement of around 100 MW,” Fuentebella explained, referring to the heat index or temperatures felt by people.
Warmer weather means additional consumption, as people opt for stronger wind settings for fans or lower temperatures for air conditioning units.
Scheduled plant shutdowns took away 435 MW from the Luzon grid, while Ilijan Power Plant’s scaled-down operations reduced its output to just 484 MW amid weak natural gas pressure from the Malampaya facility.
DOE Director Mario Marasigan added that select establishments have opted to use their own generators to ease power demand by a cumulative 168 MW.
Energy officials said they continue to monitor the power supply and demand outlook to see if there will be a need for rotating blackouts in the coming days.
“What we’re looking at is more on the long term because there are those who really need to contract already so that the power plants have more capacity. We don’t have to repeat this situation again and again every year,” Fuentebella said.
Meanwhile, the agency assured that backups are in place to ensure that cold storage facilities for COVID-19 vaccines keep running to maintain the required temperatures and keep the doses effective.
NGCP said the red alert for the Luzon grid was lifted at 4:07 p.m., although it will remain under yellow alert from 7-10 p.m. amid thin power reserves as some power plants remained shut. Meralco said power supply was restored in affected areas.
