Power Outage Alert: Luzon, Visayas Hit by Red Grid Warnings
Red and yellow grid alerts triggered rotating power interruptions across parts of Luzon and the Visayas, including Metro Manila areas served by Meralco.
Thousands of consumers in Luzon and the Visayas were hit by blackouts after grid operators raised yellow and red alerts because of high electricity demand and several power plant shutdowns.
According to The Philippine Star, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines placed the Luzon and Visayas grids under red alert from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. A yellow alert was also issued in both regions, including 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Luzon, and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Visayas.
A yellow alert means power supply is close to becoming insufficient, while a red alert means supply can no longer meet demand. The Department of Energy directed NGCP to immediately address transmission constraints that affected the dispatch of large power plants and triggered the alerts.
Meralco implemented rotating power interruptions averaging three hours starting at 3:23 p.m., affecting more than 200,000 customers in parts of Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Metro Manila. The utility also secured 240 megawatts of load reduction from commercial and industrial customers as of 3:40 p.m.
Outside the Meralco franchise area, NGCP said temporary electricity cuts could be implemented in parts of Albay, Batangas, La Union and Quezon to protect the power system. In the Visayas, the alerts threatened service in areas including Aklan, Antique, Bohol, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Leyte, Samar and Metro Cebu. Source: The Philippine Star
