The Luzon and Visayas power grids remained under red and yellow alerts on Thursday as electricity demand continued to exceed available supply due to power plant outages and extreme heat-driven consumption.
A red alert means electricity supply is insufficient and rotating brownouts may occur, while a yellow alert signals low power reserves.
In Luzon, available power capacity fell short of peak demand by more than 400 megawatts during the afternoon and evening. In the Visayas, supply was also below demand during peak hours. Thousands of megawatts of power remained unavailable because of forced outages, reduced plant output, and ongoing transmission issues.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) warned that manual load dropping or rotating power interruptions may affect parts of Metro Manila and several provinces in Luzon and the Visayas if demand continues to rise.
Meralco said customers in its service areas could experience emergency rotating brownouts lasting around two hours, depending on actual demand conditions.
To reduce pressure on the grid, large commercial and industrial customers joined the Interruptible Load Program (ILP), where businesses temporarily switch to their own generators during supply shortages. Meralco secured about 270 megawatts of relief capacity through the program.
The Department of Energy (DOE) ordered power generation companies to immediately restore affected plants and return them to full operating capacity. Government offices were also instructed to intensify energy-saving measures, including reducing non-essential electricity use during peak hours.
The DOE and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) also directed NGCP to submit a full incident report on the repeated grid alerts and supply disruptions.
Why this matters for businesses and households:
Businesses may face operational disruptions, especially manufacturers, retailers, offices, and service providers dependent on continuous electricity.
Households could experience rotating brownouts, affecting cooling, internet access, appliances, and work-from-home arrangements during extreme heat.
Higher demand and strained supply may increase pressure on electricity costs and highlight the need for stronger energy infrastructure and conservation measures nationwide.
