Philippines Department of Energy demands accountability from NGCP over grid failures

The Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) has ordered the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to provide a full explanation regarding recent transmission line failures that caused rotational brownouts in Luzon. The DOE mobilized its Grid Reliability Task Force to investigate the May 13 tripping of the 500-kilovolt Tayabas–Ilijan and Ilijan–Dasmariñas transmission lines.

These failures resulted in the loss of approximately 2,462 megawatts of natural gas capacity, affecting roughly 12% of Luzon’s power supply and disrupting power transfers to the Visayas region. Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin described the situation as unacceptable, stating that the public deserves transparency and that the agency will work with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to ensure NGCP meets its operational and regulatory obligations.

Separately, the NGCP issued red and yellow alerts for the Visayas transmission grid due to critical power shortages. The alerts were triggered by high peak demand and the unavailability of several power units, including Panay Energy Development Corporation Unit 3 and KEPCO SPC Power Corporation Unit 1. The crisis was further compounded by limited electricity imports from Mindanao due to planned outages.