Visayas power grid faces red alert Thursday amid tight supply

The Visayas electrical grid will be placed under red alert from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, according to an advisory from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). Red alert status indicates that available power reserves have fallen to critically low levels, leaving minimal buffer against potential supply disruptions.

The NGCP did not specify the exact cause of the supply shortage in its advisory. The alert designation reflects the grid operator's assessment of power availability during the evening peak demand period in the Visayas region, which covers the central Philippines provinces.

Yellow alert conditions are also expected to occur during other periods, indicating that power reserves have dropped to precarious levels but remain above the critical threshold marked by red alert status. The dual alert scenario underscores ongoing challenges with power supply reliability in the Visayas grid.

The advisory follows similar strain on the Mindanao power system, where reserves have faced depletion concerns in recent weeks. Grid operators have increasingly relied on alert mechanisms to manage demand and ensure system stability across different regions of the archipelago.