DAVAO Light and Power Co. (Davao Light) has activated measures to manage available electricity supply after another series of red and yellow alerts raised concerns over the stability of the Mindanao power grid.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the Mindanao grid under Red Alert from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 11, with Yellow Alert periods from noon to 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The alerts came as available generation fell short of the supply and reserves needed to meet demand. Several generating units were unavailable while electricity consumption remained high.
NGCP also cited the unavailability of Therma Marine Inc. Unit 2 in Agusan del Norte as one of the factors behind the latest Red Alert.
“Davao Light has activated measures to help manage the available power supply and minimize the impact on customers,” the utility said.
Davao Light said it continues to monitor grid conditions and adjust its response based on available electricity supply.
“Davao Light continues to closely monitor developments in the grid and will issue advisories through its official communication channels should power interruptions become necessary,” it said.
The utility stressed that a Red Alert does not automatically mean power interruptions will occur. However, if available generation remains insufficient to meet demand and grid requirements, distribution utilities may need to implement measures to manage the shortage.
The latest alerts followed a series of similar incidents across Mindanao this month.
On Sept. 3, NGCP placed the Mindanao grid under Red Alert amid limited generating capacity. The following day, Sept. 4, the grid again went under Red Alert from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., with available capacity at 2,549 megawatts (MW) against a projected peak demand of 2,592 MW.
NGCP attributed the Sept. 4 alert partly to the unavailability of major generating units, including GNPower Kauswagan Units 1 and 2 and Therma South Unit 2.
At the time, eight plants were on forced outage while six others were operating at reduced capacity, leaving about 784.5 MW of capacity unavailable.
Grid conditions briefly improved
On Sept. 6, Mindanao recorded 2,674 MW of available capacity against a peak demand of 2,410 MW, giving the grid a gross reserve of 264 MW. This was an improvement from the 98-MW gross reserve recorded Aug. 31.
But the grid came under renewed pressure as generating units remained unavailable and demand increased.
On Sept. 9, NGCP reported 2,641 MW of available capacity against peak demand of 2,591 MW. Fifteen power plants were on forced outage, while eight others operated at derated capacities, resulting in 827.7 MW of unavailable capacity.
NGCP again placed the grid under Red Alert on Sept. 10 but later lifted the alert after supply conditions improved. At 6 p.m. that day, the grid had 2,641 MW of available capacity against peak demand of 2,546 MW.
Davao Light had earlier warned customers that prolonged tight supply could lead to power interruptions if the gap between available generation and demand persisted.
The utility has repeatedly urged consumers to conserve electricity, particularly during periods of high demand, saying reduced consumption can help ease pressure on the grid.
Davao Light also advised customers to monitor its official communication channels for announcements about possible power interruptions.
The repeated alerts highlight the Mindanao grid’s vulnerability when several generating units become unavailable at the same time while demand remains high.
For now, Davao Light said it will continue monitoring grid conditions and implementing measures to manage available supply and minimize the impact on customers. DEF
