Iloilo city: Capacity in the Visayas grid rose Thursday following the resumption of operation of generating unit 3 of the 278.4-megawatts (MW) coal-fired Panay Energy Development Corporation (PEDC), a major power plant in the Visayas.

According to Philippines News Agency, the generating unit 3 of its subsidiary has been restored and synchronized to the grid after an equipment failure around mid-May, which contributed to the yellow and red alert status of the transmission grid since last May.

"The successful return of PEDC Unit 3 reflects the strength of our engineering capabilities, disciplined execution, and the dedication of our people and partners. Beyond restoring generating capacity, this recovery has further strengthened our engineering governance and asset management practices, enabling us to continue delivering safe, reliable, and dependable power to the communities and industries we serve," MGEN Thermal President and Chief Executive Officer Arnel Santos said in a statement.

The company's statement said the generating unit underwent 'comprehensive engineering assessments, forensic investigation, equipment repairs, extensive testing and close collaboration with original equipment manufacturers, independent technical experts, contractors and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to ensure the unit met stringent technical and operational requirements before returning to service.'

It said the 'PEDC will continue to closely monitor the unit's performance while completing the remaining engineering enhancements identified during the recovery process.'

'The lessons gained from the restoration will also be integrated into MGEN Thermal's engineering standards and asset management framework to further strengthen the reliability of its generating fleet,' it added.

Meanwhile, the company's unit 2 generating unit remains on forced outage.