The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) announced red and yellow alert statuses for the Visayas power grid on October 20, 2026, due to shortages in power availability stemming from multiple power plant outages.
MANILA — The Visayas power grid will experience heightened alert statuses on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) issues red and yellow alerts indicating supply constraints.
According to an advisory from NGCP, the Visayas grid is expected to be on yellow alert from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and again from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., while on red alert from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. These alerts are in response to a power supply shortage caused by the unavailability of several power plants in the region.
The NGCP reported that the available capacity of the Visayas grid is 2,468 megawatts (MW), which falls short of the peak demand of 2,545 MW. This shortfall is attributed to 685 MW of power capacity being unavailable.
Key contributing factors include the unavailability of major coal power plants PEDC 3 and KSPC 1, as well as reduced power imports from Mindanao due to planned outages of several generating units, namely GNPK 4, TSI 2, TMI Mobile2 – U2, and Pulangi 4 U2.
The advisory notes several forced outages among power plants: five plants have been offline since October, four since September, three since August, and some plants have been out of operation for multiple years. Additionally, 22 plants are currently operating at derated capacity, further impacting available power.
The NGCP defines a red alert status as a situation where power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the transmission grid’s regulating requirements, signaling a risk for potential rotational brownouts or blackouts. A yellow alert indicates that the operating margin cannot adequately cover the transmission grid’s contingency requirements, warning of possible supply tightness.
These alert statuses necessitate precautionary measures by electricity consumers and could lead to rotational power interruptions if supply margins worsen. Authorities and power providers are expected to monitor the situation closely and implement appropriate responses to minimize disruptions.
The NGCP continues to coordinate with power plant operators and other grid stakeholders to address the causes of the outages and restore full capacity as soon as possible.
Sources referenced:
- https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/1006485/visayas-grid-on-red-yellow-alerts-on-tuesday-oct-20-2026-ngcp/story/