MINDANAO'S power system saw its available reserve margin shrink sharply to 281 megawatts (MW) on August 9, as available generating capacity fell faster than peak electricity demand, according to the latest demand-supply situation released by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
Data from the NGCP Daily Operations Report, as reflected in its Mindanao 2026 Demand-Supply Situation as of August 9, showed that the island-wide grid recorded a peak demand of 2,374 MW against an available capacity of 2,655 MW, leaving a gross reserve of 281 MW.
The August 9 figure marked a significant reduction from the 585-MW gross reserve recorded on August 3, when available capacity stood at 3,089 MW while peak demand reached 2,504 MW.
Within a week, Mindanao’s available capacity declined by 434 MW, or about 14 percent, while peak demand dropped by 130 MW, or roughly 5.2 percent. The faster decline in available capacity consequently reduced the system’s cushion against sudden increases in demand or unexpected generating unit outages.
The reserve also narrowed progressively during the period. It stood at 460 MW on August 4, 425 MW on August 5, 383 MW on August 6 and 336 MW on August 7 before slightly increasing to 375 MW on August 8. It then fell to 281 MW on August 9.
Despite the decline, the data showed that Mindanao still had excess available capacity over peak demand on August 9. The 281-MW gross reserve represented about 10.6 percent of the available capacity for the day.
The latest figures also showed that Mindanao’s August 9 peak demand remained below its 2026 year-to-date peak of 2,775 MW recorded on May 12.
For the period from January 1 to August 9, the grid recorded an average actual system demand of 2,429 MW, compared with an average actual available capacity of 3,302 MW. This translated into an average gross reserve of 874 MWduring the period.
According to DOE-Mindanao, the figures indicate, however, that the system’s operating margin can vary substantially from day to day depending on available generation and demand conditions.
The decline in available capacity in recent days is particularly notable because Mindanao’s electricity demand remains elevated, with daily peak demand generally staying above 2,300 MW throughout the first nine days of August.
On August 6, the grid posted its highest peak demand during the seven-day period at 2,629 MW, while available capacity was 3,012 MW, leaving 383 MW in gross reserve.
Generation on August 9 was recorded at 53,104 megawatt-hours (MWh), lower than the 58,507 MWh generated on August 3 and the 60,584 MWh recorded on August 6. DEF
