MANILA — The Luzon and Visayas power grids were once again placed under red and yellow alerts on Friday, May 15, amid thin power reserves and multiple power plant outages, prompting rotational brownouts in several areas across the country.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) raised red alerts over the Luzon grid from afternoon until evening, while yellow alerts were also implemented in both Luzon and Visayas due to insufficient power supply. A red alert indicates that available electricity supply can no longer meet consumer demand, while a yellow alert signals thinning reserves in the grid.
According to reports, several power plants went offline or operated below capacity, worsening the supply situation as high temperatures continued to drive electricity demand higher across the country. Reuters reported that at least 27 power plants experienced outages since the start of May, contributing to the strained grid conditions.
The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) implemented rotational brownouts affecting hundreds of thousands of consumers in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, and Rizal. The outages lasted for around two to three hours in affected areas as the utility company carried out manual load dropping to prevent a total grid collapse.
Meralco said the rotating power interruptions were necessary following the NGCP’s declaration of red alert status in the Luzon grid. Several cities and municipalities in Metro Manila and nearby provinces experienced temporary outages throughout the afternoon and evening.
The Department of Energy (DOE) urged power generation companies to immediately address technical problems in their facilities and called on government offices, businesses, and consumers to practice energy conservation, especially during peak hours.
Energy officials also directed NGCP to submit a full report detailing the incidents that led to repeated grid alerts and widespread power interruptions.
Despite the situation, NGCP later expressed optimism that power reserves would stabilize over the weekend. By Sunday, alerts over the Luzon and Visayas grids had already been lifted, according to updated reports.
