17-4-2024 (MANILA) President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued directives on Tuesday urging government offices to reduce power consumption amidst concerns over electricity shortages. The move comes as several power plants either halted operations or operated at reduced capacity, leading to alerts being raised by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines for both the Luzon and Visayas grids.
In a statement posted on X, President Marcos called for collective efforts to ensure a stable power supply in the coming days. “At this time, it is crucial that we all work together to ensure a stable power supply for the next couple of days,” he stated, emphasizing the need for energy-efficient practices to address the challenge.
Additionally, President Marcos instructed the Department of Energy to closely monitor and coordinate with stakeholders to manage the power supply situation effectively.
The alerts issued by the National Grid Corporation indicate the severity of the situation. A red alert signifies an insufficient power supply to meet both consumer demand and the grid’s regulating requirement. Meanwhile, a yellow alert indicates that the operating margin is insufficient to meet the grid’s contingency requirement.
According to a report released on Tuesday by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), the Luzon grid is anticipated to face tight power supply conditions in May, particularly between May 13 and 26. This forecast is compounded by concerns over El Niño, which threatens the country’s power sufficiency. Jephraim Manansala, ICSC’s chief data scientist and co-author of the report, highlighted the risk of unplanned outages further depleting operating reserve levels and impacting the grid’s reliability. Manansala stressed the importance of timely delivery and expedited testing and commissioning of committed power projects to enhance the power supply situation.
