The Visayas grid remained under yellow alert from 4 to 8 p.m. today, marking the eighth day this month the alert has been raised, with red alerts also triggered earlier in May. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines reported low power reserves: available capacity stood at 2,692 MW against a peak demand of 2,503 MW. The strain stems from multiple long-term plant shutdowns—some inactive since as early as 2021—and 15 plants running below full capacity. Major facilities out of service include two units of Therma Visayas Inc. and a plant owned by Meralco Power Gen Corp., together making up over half of the unavailable supply.
The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities highlighted that repeated alerts show how reliance on a small number of large, centralized coal plants puts the power system at risk. It noted that until these plants are fixed, supply shortages will continue. To prevent future issues, the group urged the government and consumers to speed up the use of rooftop solar and net-metering systems. It emphasized that moving toward decentralized, diverse energy sources is now a key need for energy security, not just an environmental choice, as it reduces the chance of widespread disruptions.
