THE unavailability of several power plants and limited electricity imports from Mindanao pushed the Visayas grid into red alert Thursday, September 3, 2026, resulting in rotational power interruptions in Cebu.
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the Visayas grid under yellow alert from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., red alert from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., and yellow alert again from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. as electricity demand remained high and generating capacity tightened.
Available capacity stood at about 2,187 megawatts (MW), while peak demand was expected to reach 2,575 MW.
NGCP said about 579.1 MW of generating capacity was unavailable because of forced outages, while another 212.9 MW was unavailable because plants were operating at reduced capacity. The outages and derated operations resulted in a total capacity loss of about 792 MW.
Unit 1 of Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) and Unit 3 of Panay Energy Development Corp. remained on forced outage, along with four other generating units that became unavailable this month.
On September 1, Kepco-SPC Power Corp. facility in Naga City has fully restored its 103-megawatt (MW) capacity to the regional power grid.
NGCP said more than 20 other units have been unavailable since 2021, while 16 power plants were operating at derated capacities, according to the Philippine News Agency.
Electricity imports from the Mindanao grid were also constrained, further limiting available supply in the Visayas.
Possible interruptions
Visayan Electric said in a statement Thursday that the tight supply could lead to rotational power interruptions in its franchise area if NGCP orders manual load dropping (MLD).
The utility stressed that the grid alerts stem from generation and transmission constraints and are not caused by problems in its local distribution network. It serves the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay and Naga, and the municipalities of Minglanilla, San Fernando, Consolacion and Liloan.
Visayan Electric said it is coordinating with grid authorities and will immediately announce affected areas and interruption schedules through its official digital channels if MLD is implemented.
“We understand the inconvenience this situation may cause our customers. Visayan Electric is coordinating closely with the relevant grid authorities and will keep the public informed as the situation develops,” said Mark Anthony Kindica, president and general manager of Visayan Electric.
The utility urged households and commercial establishments to voluntarily conserve electricity during peak demand periods to help ease pressure on the regional grid.
NGCP said MLD may be implemented among 20 distribution utilities and electric cooperatives from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and across another 12 electric cooperatives in the Visayas from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
NGCP issues a yellow alert when available capacity falls below a grid’s contingency requirement. A red alert is issued when available capacity is insufficient to meet demand and the grid’s contingency requirement. (MVG)