Luzon, Visayas grids under yellow alert Wednesday afternoon

The Luzon and Visayas grids will again be placed under yellow alert on Wednesday afternoon, as several plants continue to be either on forced outage or running on derated capacity while at least 44 areas in the country are projected to experience dangerous levels of heat.

In an advisory, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said the Luzon Grid will be under yellow alert from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22.

The grid was reported to have an available capacity of 14,818 megawatts, compared with a peak demand of 13,628 megawatts, as some 1,911.3 megawatts are unavailable.

This comes as three plants have been on forced outage since 2023, four between January and March, and 11 between April and May, while six are running on derated capacities.

The Visayas Grid was also initially set to be under yellow alert from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., with an available capacity of 2,961 megawatts against the peak demand of 2,625 megawatts.

There are some 532.1 megawatts unavailable to the grid as one plant has been on forced outage since 2022, two since 2023, two between January and March, and 14 between April and May, while five are running on derated capacities.

This was later extended to last from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., due to the increase in the demand forecast due to the forced outage of PDPP3-E and VMCI, and the deration of Leyte A.

A yellow alert indicates that the operating margin is insufficient to meet the transmission grid’s contingency requirement.

The Department of Energy (DOE) earlier said more yellow and red alerts are expected in the coming weeks, as the country has already exceeded its forecasted demand given the prevailing heat levels due to the El Niño.

The state weather bureau has warned that 44 areas could experience a heat index falling under the danger level on Wednesday, reaching as high as 46 degrees Celsius in Virac in Catanduanes, Roxas City in Capiz, and Butuan City in Agusan del Norte.

For its part, the Department of Health (DOH) has advised the public to use alternative cooling techniques such as using a wet towel, and sprinkling water using a spray bottle to combat the heat.—AOL/VBL, GMA Integrated News