Department of Energy Directs National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and Power Firms to Restore Grid Stability After Luzon and Visayas Outages

Department of Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin has directed National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to immediately address transmission issues that disrupted major power plant operations and triggered power supply alerts across the Luzon and Visayas grids.

The directive follows the tripping of the 500 kV Tayabas-Ilijan and Dasmariñas-Ilijan transmission lines at around 6:30 AM, which resulted in the disconnection of the Ilijan Units 1 and 2 with a combined capacity of 1,200 MW, along with EERI Units 1, 2, and 3 totaling 1,262.1 MW from the Luzon grid. Shortly after, Masinloc Unit 3, with a capacity of 325 MW, also experienced a forced outage.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has instructed NGCP to submit detailed information regarding the transmission line incidents, while San Miguel Power Group Corporation has been directed to immediately restore operations at Masinloc Unit 3 following the turbine trip.

Meanwhile, the Visayas grid was placed under red alert from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM and yellow alert from 8:01 PM to 9:00 PM due to insufficient operating reserves. In response, Secretary Garin ordered the expedited restoration of generating units operated by Therma Visayas Inc. and Panay Energy Development Corporation. Specifically, Therma Visayas Units 1 and 2 and Panay Energy Development Corporation Unit 3 were instructed to accelerate recovery efforts.

The DOE Visayas Field Office has also been tasked with conducting on-site inspections of the affected facilities and coordinating closely with plant operators to ensure safe and immediate restoration of operations.

“The DOE is managing both situations in real time,” Secretary Garin said, emphasizing that both transmission and generation operators have been instructed to restore normal grid conditions swiftly to minimize disruptions to consumers.

The DOE added that it has coordinated with distribution utilities in Luzon and Visayas, which remain on standby to implement the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) if necessary. Manila Electric Company (Meralco) stated that power interruptions within its franchise area could potentially be avoided through ILP deployment.

The department said it continues to closely monitor grid conditions and will provide further updates as restoration efforts progress.