Luzon, Visayas grids to be placed under yellow alert Monday afternoon

The Luzon and Visayas grids will be placed under yellow alert anew on Monday afternoon, with face-to-face classes suspended in several cities and municipalities as some 38 areas in the country expected to experience dangerous levels of heat.

In an advisory, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said the Luzon Grid will be placed under yellow alert from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, May 20, as its available capacity was recorded at 13,867 megawatts versus the peak demand of 13,125 megawatts.

This comes as three plants have been on forced outage since 2023, three between January and March 2024, and 13 between April and May this year, while four are on derated capacities for a total of 2,040.8 megawatts unavailable to the grid.

Meanwhile, the Visayas Grid will be under yellow alert from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. as its available capacity was reported at 2,675 megawatts against the peak demand of 1,575 megawatts.

One plant has been on forced outage since 2022, two since 2023, two between January and March 2024, and 11 between April and May, while seven are on derated capacities for a total of 553.4 megawatts unavailable to the grid.

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 expected demand given the prevailing heat levels due to the El Niño.

State weather bureau PAGASA expects 38 areas in the country to experience a dangerous heat index on Monday, reaching as high as 46°C in areas in Cavite, Catanduanes, Capiz, and Northern Samar.

Face-to-face classes in several areas in Metro Manila and Luzon have also been suspended due to extreme heat conditions, with schools advised to shift to asynchronous or alternative learning modalities.

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. —KBK, GMA Integrated News