MANILA – The Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday warned that yellow alerts are possible in the Luzon grid for the next 7 weeks because of thin power supply.

Energy Undersecretary Rowena Guevarra said yellow alerts could be raised in Luzon in the remaining weeks of May and the first 3 weeks of June.

A Yellow Alert means reserves have fallen below the ideal levels but does not automatically translate to power outages.

"Dito sa Luzon, nakikita natin na 7 linggong posibleng yellow alert na mag-occur in any of the 7 weeks. After that mayroong paisa-isa sa ibang mga buwan sa second half ng taon," Guevarra said in a public briefing.

In Visayas, 5 yellow alerts could be raised in the nighttime, she said. No alert status, meanwhile, will be raised in Mindanao.

The DOE, she said, was banking on the Ilijan power plant, which can help stabilize the power supply in Luzon.

• DOE says Ilijan plant to stabilize Luzon power supply
• No ‘red alert’ alert warning on power supply this 2023, DOE says

The Ilijan power plant can contribute 1,200 megawatts in the grid's power supply.

"Inaasahan natin na pagdating ng May 26 ay mag-oopeate na po siya at babato na ng kuryente sa ating grid," she said.

"Napakalaki ng 1,200 megawatts. Kasi ang buong Luzon, ang total natin is about [12,000]. Kung mag-introduce ka ng 1,200 megawatts, that's a 10 percent increase in supply," she added.

"Kapagka nangyari 'yun, talagang makakatulong sa ating pagbabawas na ng potential yellow alerts sa Luzon."

On Monday, power outages affected parts of Luzon after a transmission line and 2 units of Masinloc Power Plant tripped in Masinloc, Zambales.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) earlier warned that power reserves would be thin during the dry months of March to May, just when consumption would be rising.

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