The Department of Energy (DOE), through its Electric Power Industry Management Bureau (EPIMB) is closely monitoring and coordinating with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and all generation companies on the current power supply condition following the Red and Yellow Alerts declared in the Luzon grid today, 16 April 2024 and Yellow Alert in the Visayas.

Specifically, the DOE is closely coordinating with all power stakeholders to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to minimize the impact.

In Luzon, the DOE has instructed all distribution utilities (DUs), including the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) and electric cooperatives (ECs), to activate their Interruptible Load Program (ILP) to help reduce the overall demand in the grid. Although this is the first time that a red alert in Luzon has been declared after almost a year, it is important that everyone remains vigilant during this extreme hot season.

The DOE also reiterated the directive of the President for all government offices to take the lead in conserving energy and minimizing power use particularly during this period.

Industrial and commercial establishments are likewise encouraged to minimize the use of power during peak hours to help mitigate the impact of the supply shortage.

No energy should be wasted while we make sure that we remain productive, Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla emphasized. “While we continue to monitor and ask our power plant operators to work on restoring full operations, we can maximize our energy efficiency efforts as we go through this period of extreme heat. Flexible work arrangements and other conservation measures would also be helpful. The extremely high temperatures have been affecting the operations of power plants in the grid,” the Secretary added.

The public is encouraged to minimize the use of electricity during peak hours. These include turning off lights and unplugging appliances when not in use, avoiding whenever possible, the use of high-energy consuming devices such aircon and elevator, which can significantly contribute to alleviating the strain on the grid.

A notice of Red Alert was issued from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM today while a Yellow Alert was declared from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM following the unscheduled outages of some generating plants in Luzon.

A Yellow Alert was also issued in the Visayas Grid from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM today due to outages and deration of several generation facilities. ###