The 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Bogo City, Cebu on October 1 caused 27 power plants to trip, thus temporarily cutting 1,444 megawatts (MW) from the grid and prompting the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to place the Visayas grid under Yellow Alert.

According to the Department of Energy (DOE), the grid had an available capacity of 1,888 MW against a peak demand of 1,839 MW, which only leaves a narrow buffer. Despite this, power supply in the region was sustained.

DOE said it is closely coordinating with generation, transmission, and distribution stakeholders to assess the full impact of the earthquake on power infrastructure and ensure continued services to consumers. The agency also committed to providing regular updates as more information becomes available.

What additional measures should the Philippines pursue to make its power infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters like earthquakes?

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