The power grids in Luzon and Visayas were placed under yellow and red alerts on Wednesday after several power plants went offline and electricity demand surged.
A red alert means electricity supply is not enough to meet demand, raising the risk of rotating brownouts. A yellow alert signals low power reserves.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines said the Luzon Grid’s available supply fell below peak demand during the afternoon and evening, while thousands of megawatts became unavailable because of forced outages and reduced plant output. Similar conditions affected the Visayas Grid.
To prevent a wider system collapse, NGCP warned it may carry out manual load dropping, or temporary power cuts, in several areas including parts of Abra, Bataan, Batangas, Pampanga, Metro Manila, Albay, Camarines Norte, and Camarines Sur.
Manila Electric Company confirmed rotating power interruptions had already affected more than 200,000 customers across parts of Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Manila, and Rizal. The outages lasted about three hours on average.
For businesses, the power shortage could disrupt operations, especially for factories, offices, malls, and restaurants that rely heavily on electricity. Large companies under the Interruptible Load Program were asked to switch to their own generators to reduce pressure on the grid.
For households, residents may experience brownouts during peak hours, especially in the afternoon and evening when electricity use is highest. Consumers are also being encouraged to conserve power to help stabilize the grid.
The Department of Energy said authorities are working to restore normal conditions quickly and avoid prolonged disruptions.
