The Visayas grid was placed under yellow alert again on Tuesday due to the forced shutdown of several coal-fired power plants, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said.
The yellow alert, the second lowest in the grid's alert system, indicates that the power supply is insufficient to meet the demand. It was raised from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and again from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
According to NGCP data, the Visayas grid had a total available capacity of 2,656 megawatts (MW) against a peak demand of 2,524 MW, leaving a slim margin of 132 MW.
The yellow alert was triggered by the unplanned shutdown of the 150-MW coal-fired unit of the Cebu Energy Development Corp. (CEDC) and the 135-MW unit of the Toledo Power Co., as well as the derating of other plants.
The NGCP advised the public to conserve electricity, especially during peak hours, to help prevent the grid from plunging into a red alert, which would mean rotating blackouts.
The Visayas grid has been experiencing tight supply conditions in recent weeks due to scheduled and unscheduled shutdowns of power plants.