Luzon Grid Under Yellow Alert Due to Power Plant Failures

The Luzon grid was placed under a yellow alert on Wednesday by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) following unexpected outages at two major power plants. This precautionary step was taken due to a drop in power supply availability, impacting the stability of electricity across the region.

According to Philippines News Agency, the alert was triggered by malfunctions at the Sual Unit 2 and the GNPower Dinginin Unit 2, both of which experienced issues with a boiler tube leak. The yellow alert status was designated for specific periods: between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and then from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. This measure indicates a lower-than-required operating margin to meet the grid’s contingency needs.

The NGCP also reported extensive ongoing issues with power generation, noting that “seven plants have been on forced outage from January to May 2024, and ten additional plants from June to July 2024.” Additionally, five plants are operating at reduced capacity, resulting in a total of 3,017.9 megawatts being unavailable to the grid. Despite these challenges, the available capacity stands at 12,969 megawatts, with peak demand expected at 11,768 MW.

While the Luzon grid faces these power challenges, the NGCP confirmed that the Visayas and Mindanao grids are currently operating under normal conditions.