NGCP warns possible summer power outages despite DOE’s stable supply forecast

MANILA, Philippines — The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has indicated that, despite the Department of Energy's (DOE) earlier projections of a stable power supply for the upcoming summer months, it cannot fully guarantee the absence of power outages.

NGCP’s Engineer Vincent Harvey Bernabe warned that unexpected power plant shutdowns, like in past years, could trigger grid alerts. A yellow alert means a reserve shortage of over 600 megawatts, while a red alert signals a critical level that may lead to power interruptions.

To strengthen the power supply before the summer, DOE had earlier announced the deployment of more than 4,000 megawatts of new generation capacity.

NGCP noted that it is still difficult to forecast power plant emergency shutdowns because these events have happened in unpredictable ways in the past which also emphasizes how crucial it is to have backup plans in place in case the power supply is disrupted during times of high demand.