Grid alerts, high WESM prices signal need for power system flexibility
Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities PRESS RELEASE QUEZON CITY, 01 June 2026 –– The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) emphasized that recurring grid alerts and sustained high prices in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) point to a fundamental gap in the Philippine power system: the lack of flexible generation capacity. Throughout May 2026, grid alerts have been repeatedly raised across Luzon and the Visayas, with multiple instances of yellow and red alerts declared due to thin operating reserves. These alerts have, at times, necessitated rotational blackouts in multiple areas across the country to keep the [...]
ICSC: Recurring grid alerts highlight urgent need for decentralized energy in the country
Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities PRESS RELEASE QUEZON CITY, May 20, 2026 –– The red and yellow alerts raised over the Luzon and Visayas grids over the past week highlight how outages from several large centralized coal plants can quickly strain the Philippine power system and result in power outages across interconnected grids, according to the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC). No baseload power plant should be on outage from April to June, based on the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ (NGCP) Grid Operating and Maintenance Plan (GOMP). However, ICSC noted that these power plants [...]
ICSC: Luzon and Visayas grid alerts underscore the strong need for a more resilient, distributed power system
Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities REACTIVE QUEZON CITY, 17 April 2026 –– The yellow alerts raised over the Luzon and Visayas grids yesterday highlight a recurring vulnerability in the Philippines’ power system: the country’s energy sector remains baseload-centric and relies on large power plants, making the grid more exposed to disruptions that affect Filipino households and businesses across the country. The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) has constantly emphasized that relying heavily on only a few large power plants makes the energy system less flexible and unreliable. Even short-term outages or plants operating below normal capacity [...]
ICSC: Recurring grid alerts show deeper reliability issues in coal plants
QUEZON CITY, 5 August 2025 — In response to the recent yellow alerts raised in the Visayas and Mindanao grids, the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) underscores the recurring issue of unplanned outages, particularly among baseload coal power plants. Despite the ongoing rainy season, when electricity demand is typically lower, several plants continue to face reliability issues. As of August 4, 2025, the following baseload power plants remained offline due to unplanned outages: DCPP Therma South Unit 1 (150MW, Coal): offline since July 31 SMC Malita Unit 2 (150MW, Coal): offline since July 30 FDC Misamis Unit [...]
ICSC: Luzon’s first yellow alert in 2025 warns of more grid alerts this dry season
QUEZON CITY, 07 March 2025 – In response to the yellow alert raised in the Luzon Grid on March 5, the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) underscores the looming threat of more grid alerts in coming months as the dry season approaches. This year’s early occurrence is particularly concerning, as similar alerts in previous years were typically issued closer to peak summer months, such as April or May. For instance, the first yellow alert in 2024 was declared on April 16, significantly later than this year’s March 5 alert. Two primary factors are driving this situation: a [...]