Philippines: Visayas grid back on yellow alert as plant outages squeeze reserves

Electricity supply remains tight in the central Philippines. A yellow alert was declared again for the Visayas grid on 23 September 2026. According to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, the alert applies from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. A yellow alert does not mean that a widespread blackout is already under way. It does, however, mean that the available operating reserve has fallen below the required safety level and that the grid has limited room to absorb another failure.

Around 2,607 megawatts of available capacity were reported for the evening, while forecast peak demand was about 2,418 megawatts. That difference is enough to meet normal consumption, but it is not enough to provide the required contingency reserve. This reserve is intended to cover the sudden loss of another power station or a major generating unit. When that buffer is missing, a new fault can lead more quickly to load shedding or regional interruptions.

Several large generating units are unavailable at the same time. The grid operator said Unit 1 of Therma Visayas, Unit 3 of Panay Energy Development Corporation and Unit 2 of Kepco SPC Power Corporation are among those on forced outage. Generating units at twelve power plants are unavailable in September alone. Another 19 plants remain on forced outage, in some cases dating back to earlier years. Sixteen plants are also operating at reduced output. Altogether, about 886.5 megawatts of generating capacity are unavailable to the Visayas grid.

The situation is not entirely new. Yellow and red alerts have been issued repeatedly across Visayas in recent days. On 22 September, the loss of another geothermal unit, together with high demand, temporarily pushed the grid into a red alert. Red means that available supply is no longer sufficient to cover demand and the necessary operating reserves at the same time. The rapid movement between alert levels shows how quickly conditions can change when individual units trip unexpectedly.

The Philippine Department of Energy is therefore working on additional measures. Options mentioned include floating power capacity and more battery storage. Earlier in September, the department said it was pushing for faster restoration of unavailable generating units, work on transmission constraints and extra stored capacity for peak periods.

For businesses and households, a narrow reserve can have very different effects. Even if no system-wide disconnection is ordered, individual distributors may need to reduce load or local interruptions may occur. Refrigeration, water pumps, mobile communications, lifts and electronic payment systems are particularly sensitive. The amount of warning can therefore matter almost as much as the length of an outage.

For households, the key point is understanding the alert. Yellow does not automatically mean that the power will go out today. It means the safety cushion is smaller than it should be. People in affected areas should follow official grid updates and use the hours before peak demand wisely. Phones, power banks, rechargeable lamps and medically important devices should be charged. Water and simple food should also be ready, especially where pumps, lifts or card payments depend on electricity.

The lesson also applies outside the Philippines. A grid can appear stable while operating with very little reserve. One additional fault may then make the difference between normal service and controlled cuts. Alert levels are not a reason for panic; they are useful advance notice for sensible preparation.

Updated: 23 September 2026. Sources: National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, Philippine News Agency and the Philippine Department of Energy.