YELLOW ALERT NATIONWIDE ON ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

Demand on power supply may worsen (Photo courtesy of Philippine Star)

The entire country experienced a thinning of the electricity supply due to failed plants and extreme heat. Experts warn that the electricity supply situation may worsen.

For the second day in a row this week, there was a red alert and a yellow alert in the Luzon and Visayas grid this Wednesday. But it's not just in Luzon or Visayas that the electricity supply is disrupted, there is also a yellow alert in Mindanao due to the failure of another plant in the middle of the scorching heat.

Because it's not just a matter of building a plant, the government's appeal to the consumers to avoid brownout.

“It's not forbidden to use aircon for example but maybe it's just the proper use of our appliances. For example, in the air conditioner, instead of 18° the setting can be about 23-25°," Department of Energy Asec. Mario Marasigan stated.

Consumers response on the appeal of the government may not be followed, because electricity consumption has hit the highest level this year due to the heat. 

"This may have been the reason why there was a thinning of the electricity supply, especially in the reserve plants," Marasigan added.

No one can tell, even the experts, when the power supply will return to normal in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. For Meralco and National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) the situation may worsen.

NGCP Spokesperson Atty. Cynthia Alabanza, "We have to wait every day to see if the situation will improve and that's the only thing that can be done right now." 

"That's what we need to prepare for, it's not over yet, we haven't seen the highest demand yet based on the historical data that we have," Meralco Joe Zaldarriaga said.

According to NGCP data, 20 plants have unscheduled shutdowns in Luzon, 20 in Visayas, and 9 in Mindanao, that's why three grids lost electricity supply.

Source: Philippine News Agency

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