Power alerts hit Mindanao grid amid plant outages, surging demand

The Mindanao grid was placed under yellow and red alerts on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, because of tight operating margins from multiple plant outages. NGCP file photo The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placed Mindanao grid power status under alternating red and yellow alerts on Tuesday after an unexpected plant outage and a spike in system demand. According to the NGCP 1:20 p.m. advisory, a red alert is hoisted from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Meanwhile, the yellow alert covered shorter intervals from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 pm., 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Available capacity is recorded at 2,673 megawatts (MW), against a peak demand of 2,639 MW, or a thin margin of just 34 MW. READ: DOE eyes partial solution to Visayas, Mindanao grid alerts this monthA total of 763.6 MW is currently unavailable to the grid. System data shows 10 plants are on forced outage as of September 2026, alongside units dating back to previous months and years, compounded by five plants running on derated capacities.NGCP cited two major factors contributing to the escalation of the alert declarations: the unexpected tripping of Minergy Coal Unit 2, which sliced 50 MW from the grid, and an increase in forecasted system demand by around 100 MW.A red alert status is issued when available power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the transmission grid’s regulating requirement, which may trigger Manual Load Dropping (MLD) or unscheduled power interruptions.A yellow alert is declared when operating margins are insufficient to meet contingency requirements./coa Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.