MINDANAO'S power reserve dropped to just 98 megawatts (MW) on August 31, 2026, signaling a tighter supply cushion for the grid as the month closed, based on the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) Daily Operations Report.
The available capacity stood at 2,533 MW against a peak demand of 2,435 MW on Aug. 31, leaving the grid with only 98 MW of gross reserve.
The figure was a steep decline from the 372 MW reserve recorded on August 25, when the Mindanao grid posted a peak demand of 2,675 MW and available capacity of 3,047 MW.
Over the seven days from August 25 to 31, the grid’s reserve fluctuated between 98 MW and 424 MW. It stood at 337 MW on August 26, rose to 424 MW on August 27, and remained at 413 MW on August 28 before falling to 329 MW on August 29 and 166 MW on Aug. 30.
The narrowing reserve came even as peak demand generally declined toward the end of the month, suggesting that the reduction in available generation capacity was faster than the drop in demand.
On August 30, peak demand fell to 2,344 MW, but available capacity also dropped sharply to 2,510 MW, leaving just 166 MW in reserve. A day later, capacity increased slightly to 2,533 MW, but the resulting reserve remained at only 98 MW.
For the first eight months of 2026, Mindanao recorded an average actual system demand of 2,442 MW, while average actual available capacity was 3,264 MW, producing an average gross reserve of 822 MW, according to the NGCP presentation.
The grid’s highest peak demand for the year so far was recorded on May 12 at 2,775 MW, according to the report.
The latest figures also showed how much the daily supply margin can shift even within a single week, with the reserve moving by more than 300 MW between August 27 and August 31.
Electricity generation during the seven-day period likewise varied. Generation reached 62,297 megawatt-hours (MWh) on August 25 before decreasing to 60,625 MWh the following day. It stood at 61,437 MWh on August 27, 60,498 MWh on August 28, and 60,487 MWh on August 29.
Generation then declined further to 52,954 MWh on August 30 before slightly recovering to 54,626 MWh on August 31.
The figures highlight the changing balance between electricity demand and available generation capacity across the Mindanao grid as the region enters September.
While the year-to-date average indicates a wider supply margin, the sharp contraction in gross reserve during the final days of August shows that the grid’s available cushion can narrow considerably from day to day depending on demand and generation availability. DEF
