Calls are mounting for regulators to investigate the recurring forced outages of power plants after another yellow alert was raised over the Visayas grid due to thin power reserves.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the Visayas grid under yellow alert on Thursday, citing insufficient reserves. As of Wednesday, NGCP said 14 power plants had been on forced outage since the start of the month.
The repeated disruptions have raised concerns over whether power facilities are still meeting the reliability standards set by the Energy Regulatory Commission.
“Itong mga yellow at red alert, dulot ‘yan ng unplanned outages. Dapat imbestigahan ng ERC kung sumusunod pa rin ang mga plantang ito sa itinakdang standards ng gobyerno dahil paulit-ulit natin itong nakikita tuwing summer,” Senator Win Gatchalian said.
The senator said the ERC should assess the performance of generation companies and determine whether stricter monitoring or accountability measures are needed to prevent recurring supply alerts, especially during peak demand months.
He also warned that repeated forced outages could further burden consumers already facing concerns over possible electricity rate increases in June.
“Ang ERC ay may kapangyarihan na gawing staggered o pakonti-konti ang pagtaas ng presyo ng kuryente,” he noted.
The appeal comes as power supply conditions remain under scrutiny, with forced outages repeatedly contributing to yellow and red alerts during the summer season.
Gatchalian said tighter oversight of power plant operations is necessary to protect consumers from supply instability and sudden rate shocks.