(Updated, May 8, 2023 | 4:40 PM) – The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has declared a RED ALERT in the Luzon Grid from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and YELLOW ALERT from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Monday, May 8.
In a statement, NGCP said that five (5) power plants are currently on forced outage, while three (3) are running on derated capacities.
NGCP noted that the available capacity is at 12,186 MW, while peak demand is at 12,468 MW
A total of 1,354 MW is currently unavailable to the Luzon grid.
In a report by ABS CBN News, NGCP said that power interruptions have affected portions of Luzon after the Masinloc Power Plant tripped off at around 1:00 PM.
In a statement, the Department of Energy (DOE) said that the tripping of the Bolo-Masinloc 230 kV line 2 caused the tripping of Masinloc Units 1&2 with 618 MW.
“As the situation emanated from a transmission line tripping, the DOE has instructed the NGCP to explain within 24 hours the circumstances that caused the outages,” DOE said.
The Manila Electric Co. (MERALCO) announced that it will implement manual load dropping (MLD) in its franchise area, which may result in rotating power interruptions.
“We are implementing manual load dropping (MLD) or rotating power interruptions of up to 2 hours in parts of the Meralco franchise area as instructed by the NGCP and as part of our responsibility to manage the system,” MERALCO said in a separate statement.
Following the declaration of yellow and red alerts, the NGCP has suspended the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in the Luzon Grid.
“The suspension of the WESM will effectively shield the public from volatile prices that may arise from the unavailability of some power plants,” DOE said.
Meanwhile, the Visayas Grid is also on Yellow alert from 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
