MANILA, Philippines — Electricity supply in the Visayas remains under severe pressure, with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placing the regional power grid under yellow and red alerts on Tuesday, September 15, as available generating capacity continues to fall short of demand.
According to the latest NGCP advisory cited by GMA News, the yellow alert will run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and again from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., while the more serious red alert will be in effect from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The latest figures show just how tight the situation has become: the Visayas grid has an available capacity of about 2,353 megawatts (MW) against a projected peak demand of 2,492 MW.
That leaves the system without enough available capacity to comfortably meet demand and maintain the required operating reserves.
Why is the Visayas grid running short of power?
NGCP attributed the latest alerts largely to the continued unavailability of major coal-fired generating units in the Visayas.
Among those unavailable are Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) Units 1 and 2 and Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) Unit 3. The grid is also receiving only limited electricity imports from Mindanao, further tightening the supply situation.
The problem is not limited to a handful of plants.
NGCP reported that 12 generating plants went on forced outage in September, while additional facilities have remained unavailable since previous months and even previous years. Another 15 plants are operating at reduced or derated capacities.
Combined, the unavailable capacity has reached approximately 962.9 MW.
Red alert does not automatically mean a blackout
A red alert is issued when available power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the transmission grid’s regulating requirements.
A yellow alert, meanwhile, means the operating margin has fallen below the level needed to cover the grid’s contingency requirement.
In practical terms, a red alert means the system has very little room for unexpected problems. If another generating unit suddenly trips or demand rises unexpectedly, power interruptions or controlled load reduction may become necessary.
That distinction is important because an alert itself does not automatically mean every consumer will experience a blackout.
However, recent events show that the risk is real.
Rotational brownouts already affecting parts of the Visayas
The current alerts come amid continuing reports of rotational power interruptions in several areas.
The Philippine Information Agency reported that power cooperatives in Leyte have implemented manual load dropping following red-alert declarations, a measure used to reduce electricity demand and help protect the stability of the wider grid.
In Cebu, the Philippine Information Agency also explained that the recurring interruptions are linked to the regional supply-demand imbalance rather than simply local distribution-line problems. Data cited by PIA showed that the Visayas had already recorded 96 yellow alerts and 33 red alerts from January 1 through September 7.
The number has continued to climb.
Philstar reported that, following another red-alert declaration, the Visayas had reached 39 red alerts and 103 yellow alerts since the beginning of 2026.
The crisis is also hitting electricity prices
The prolonged supply shortage is having consequences beyond temporary outages.
Philstar reported that electricity spot-market prices in the Visayas jumped 64.9% in August to P18.59 per kilowatt-hour, from P11.29/kWh in July. Mindanao experienced an even larger increase, with its average spot-market rate rising 88.2% to P19.56/kWh from P10.39/kWh.
Consumer group Power for People Coalition has called for the Energy Regulatory Commission to suspend spot-market operations in the two regions until the supply situation improves.
Government races to bring additional capacity online
The Department of Energy has been working on several measures to stabilize the Visayas grid, including restoring unavailable generating units, deploying battery energy storage systems and addressing transmission constraints.
BusinessMirror reported that the DOE has been coordinating the return of generating units while preparing 253 MW of battery storage capacity across Cebu, Panay, Leyte and Negros.
The agency has also been coordinating with generating companies in Mindanao because additional power from the interconnected grid could help support the Visayas.
But the relief may not come immediately.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said Monday that the Visayas could remain under power-supply pressure into 2027, while the government accelerates the deployment of battery storage and power barges.
That means Tuesday’s red alert may be more than an isolated event—it is another sign of a broader electricity-supply problem that the government is still trying to resolve.
What consumers should watch
For households and businesses across the Visayas, the key concern is whether generating units can return to service quickly enough to rebuild the grid’s reserves.
The situation is particularly sensitive during peak-demand periods, when electricity consumption rises and the available margin becomes thinner.
If additional generating units remain offline, or if another major plant unexpectedly trips, the already-tight system could face even greater pressure.
For now, consumers in affected areas should monitor announcements from their local electric cooperative or distribution utility, particularly during periods covered by NGCP red or yellow alerts.
The bigger question is no longer simply whether the Visayas has enough electricity today—but how long the region can continue operating with such a narrow supply cushion.
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