Visayas grid back on yellow alert

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May 20, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — High electricity demand and the shutdown of large coal-powered plants continued to strain the Visayas grid, triggering another yellow alert yesterday.

The alert level, issued when power reserves are low, was in effect across the region from 3 to 9 p.m., according to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.

NGCP said peak demand reached 2,594 megawatts, while available capacity stood at just 2,691 MW.

Over 800 MW of capacity was unavailable after 21 power plants went on a forced outage, with 10 others operating at a reduced output.

It was the seventh yellow alert hoisted in the Visayas within eight days, bringing the total to nine so far this year. The region also experienced three red alerts this year.

Four and three red yellow alerts were hoisted in Luzon so far this year, while Mindanao has reported no grid warnings to date, according to the NGCP.

A red alert is more serious than a yellow alert as it is raised when power supply can no longer meet consumers’ demand. This increases the risk of rotational blackouts in affected areas.

Energy officials expect grid alerts to persist in the coming months amid the looming threat of El Niño.

Last week, consumers in Luzon and the Visayas experienced rotational blackouts lasting two to three hours after the grids were placed on red and yellow alerts.