The Department of Energy has urged Filipinos to minimize the use of high-energy consuming devices, such as air conditioners and elevators, during peak hours, as the National Grid Corporation was forced to implement outages amid the energy supply’s inability to keep up with the demand.
On Tuesday, NGCP issued a red alert notice for the Luzon grid from 2pm to 9pm, as 19 power plants were forced to shut down. This alert was extended to 11pm due to two more plant outages.
A red alert status is issued when power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the transmission grid’s regulating requirement. Rotational brownouts were intentionally implemented that day, to protect the integrity of the power system.
In the Visayas, the grid was initially put on yellow alert status from 2pm to 7pm, but was also eventually raised to red alert from 5pm to 9pm due to thin supply.
Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said energy efficiency efforts can be conducted during this period of extreme heat, suggesting flexible work arrangements and other conservation measures, as the extremely high temperatures have been affecting the operations of power plants in the grid.
It may be annoying to hear government officials tell us that we have to adjust again, this time by trying not to use air conditioners in this scorching heat, in order to help keep what remains of the power grid and the electricity it supplies stable, after multiple power plants have either conked out or are offline due to maintenance. However, the sad truth of the matter is that we have no choice but to cooperate if we don’t want the entire grid to collapse and fall into an even worse situation.
As we mindfully use our appliances during this period of yellow and red alerts, let us do so with the expectation that our government and the power sector are also going to do their part in ensuring that our power infrastructure somehow improves so such compromises will no longer be necessary in the medium and long term.*
