More grid alerts expected as El Niño progresses

THE Department of Energy (DoE) is projecting more grid alerts in the second half of the year, as the El Niño dry spell takes hold, pushing up power demand.

At a briefing on Monday, Energy Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella said the DoE is projecting at least one yellow alert on the Luzon grid, along with seven in the Visayas and six in Mindanao.

The Visayas grid is expected to experience six red alerts, threatening power interruptions in the islands, which typically import power from Luzon and Mindanao.

A red alert is issued when the available power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the required operating reserves. A yellow alert is declared when operating reserves fall below the required contingency level.

“Our power sector is preparing for El Niño scenarios. (We) are working together to respond to the challenges brought about by the shift of the season going to El Niño,” Mr. Fuentebella said.

El Niño increases the possibility of drier-than-usual conditions, which can lead to droughts and dry spells, as well as fewer but potentially stronger tropical cyclones.

The Philippines last experienced an El Niño event in 2023-2024, the most recent period red alerts were issued.

On Monday, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines placed the Visayas grid on yellow alert as power supply tightened following forced outages at some power plants alongside high electricity demand.

The Visayas grid was on yellow alert between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., with available capacity totaling 2,683 megawatts (MW), against demand of 2,585 MW.

Last week, rotational brownouts lasted two to three hours after red alerts were raised in three consecutive days.

Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara said grid alerts may put upward pressure on next month’s electricity bills.

“Potentially, (there could be an increase) because we were on red alert. We need to run on more expensive power plants, like those powered by diesel,” she said. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera