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The Cebu Electricity Rights Advocates (CERA) said recent disturbances affecting both the Luzon and Visayas grids underscore the need to address vulnerabilities within the transmission system operated by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), particularly as communities continue to experience power interruptions and rotational brownouts.
The group warned that while discussions on energy security often focus on building additional generation capacity, transmission reliability has become an equally critical factor in maintaining stable electricity service.
“We must recognize that many recent outages are increasingly linked to transmission vulnerabilities under NGCP,” CERA convenor Nathaniel Chua said.
He noted that public attention frequently centers on reserve margins and power generation during periods of high demand, but grid stability is also heavily dependent on the reliability and resilience of the transmission backbone.
Transmission Issues
According to CERA, disruptions recorded in May 2026 demonstrated how transmission failures can trigger widespread instability even when sufficient power generation remains available elsewhere in the system.
Among the incidents cited by the group was the tripping of major 500-kilovolt transmission lines, including the Ilijan-Dasmariñas and Ilijan-Tayabas lines. The outage significantly reduced the grid’s ability to transmit more than 1,300 megawatts of electricity.
The disruption prompted several distribution utilities to implement Automatic Load Dropping (ALD) measures to prevent a broader system collapse, despite available generation capacity in other parts of the grid.
CERA said the incident illustrated the importance of strengthening transmission infrastructure to ensure power generated by plants can be delivered efficiently and reliably to consumers.
Visayas Grid Faces Continued Pressure
The group’s concerns come as the Visayas continues to grapple with tight power reserves and repeated yellow alerts.
On May 28, NGCP placed the Visayas grid under yellow alert for the fourth consecutive day and for the 15th time during the month. The advisory was in effect from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. after another generating unit went offline while several power plants continued operating below capacity.
NGCP reported that available capacity in the Visayas stood at 2,532 megawatts against the projected peak demand of 2,388 megawatts. While supply remained sufficient to meet demand, operating reserves fell below the required contingency level, prompting the issuance of the alert.
The latest warning followed the tripping of Unit 2 of the 103-megawatt coal-fired Kepco SPC Power Corp. plant in the City of Naga, Cebu, adding further strain to the regional grid.
The Visayas grid has experienced recurring yellow alerts since mid-May, reflecting persistent challenges in maintaining adequate reserves amid rising electricity consumption and generation outages.
NGCP data showed that forced outages continued to affect several major facilities, including Units 1 and 2 of Therma Visayas Inc. and Unit 3 of Panay Energy Development Corp. A total of 13 power plants were reported on forced outage during the month, while several others have remained offline for extended periods. Fourteen additional facilities were operating on derated capacity, resulting in approximately 1,006.2 megawatts of unavailable capacity across the system.
Grid Resilience Sought
CERA also highlighted recent developments in the Visayas involving transmission constraints.
Earlier this month, NGCP implemented Manual Load Dropping (MLD), which affected 18 electric cooperatives following unplanned generation outages and concerns over the loading capacity of the Daanbantayan-Tabango 230-kV transmission line.
According to the group, the incident demonstrated the need for greater transmission redundancy and stronger grid resilience capable of absorbing operational disruptions without triggering cascading outages.
The advocacy group said a more comprehensive energy strategy is needed to address both supply adequacy and transmission reliability.
“To break the cycle of recurring outages, the country’s energy strategy must move beyond a purely supply-focused approach and adopt a resilience-first framework that prioritizes transmission reliability alongside additional power generation,” Chua said.
He stressed that the country’s long-term energy stability will depend not only on the construction of new power plants but also on investments that modernize and reinforce the transmission network.
As demand continues to rise during the dry season and power reserves remain thin in the Visayas, CERA said strengthening the transmission system should be treated as a national priority to ensure electricity generated across the country can reach homes, businesses and critical services without disruption.
Source:
https://tribune.net.ph/2026/05/29/cera-flags-ngcp-over-grid-outages
https://insiderph.com/cera-seeks-greater-accountability-over-power-outages
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/visayas-power-supply-remains-thin