Mindanao: The derated capacity of the oil-based, diesel-powered Therma Marine Inc. (TMI) Mobile 2 power barge in Agusan del Norte, along with the unavailability or derated capacity of other diesel- and hydropowered plants, prompted a red alert for the Mindanao grid on Wednesday. This is a further decline from the yellow alert issued earlier in the morning.
According to Philippines News Agency, in its 2 p.m. advisory, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) announced that the Mindanao grid was placed on red alert from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Additionally, a yellow alert was issued from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
NGCP indicates that a yellow alert is declared when the operating margin falls short of the required contingency reserve, while a red alert is issued when available capacity is insufficient to meet demand and the grid's regulating requirement. The grid's available capacity stood at around 2,641 megawatts (MW), a decrease from 2,731 MW earlier, while peak demand was at 2,591 MW, slightly below the expected 2,600 MW earlier in the day.
The advisory further revealed that 15 power plants in Mindanao are unavailable this month alone, while another 15 have been unavailable since 2024. Eight others are operating at derated capacity. The total capacity loss in the grid is estimated at around 827.7 MW, exacerbating the power supply challenges faced by the region.
