ICSC: Rotating blackouts underscore hidden risks of centralized energy infrastructure
Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities REACTIVE QUEZON CITY, May 14 2026 –– The latest rotating blackouts across Luzon and Visayas underscore the systemic risks created by concentrating generation and transmission infrastructure in a limited number of large facilities and critical corridors. From the forecasted available capacity in Luzon of 16,975 MW reported by the NGCP earlier in the day, system availability dropped to 12,447 MW, reflecting how concentration of critical assets can lead to an immediate tightening of power supply conditions. The cascading tripping on May 13 of 500 kV Dasmariñas-Ilijan transmission line at 4:48AM and 500 kV [...]
Tight power supply expected in Luzon and Visayas this June, while Mindanao reserves will remain normal in Q2
QUEZON CITY, April 3, 2025 – The Luzon and Visayas grids are expected to experience scarcer power reserves in June this year, while the Mindanao grid is projected to maintain normal reserves this summer and is capable of exporting power as a larger supply is available. That said, the Visayas grid can maintain normal reserves in the second quarter of 2025, but is completely dependent on imports from Luzon and Mindanao. In the report entitled “Philippine Power Outlook: Reviewing the Adequacy of Power Supply from April to June 2025” launched today, the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) [...]
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 [...]
El Niño ups chances of yellow alerts in Luzon by mid-May – ICSC
QUEZON CITY, April 16, 2024 – The Luzon grid is expected to experience a tight power supply in May, particularly from May 13 to 26, potentially leading to yellow alerts as El Niño threatens the country’s power sufficiency this dry season. Manila-based think tank Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) launched the report entitled “Philippine Power Outlook: Reviewing the Adequacy of Power Supply for April to June 2024” today, which examined power supply projections in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao based on the power demand and supply outlook presented by the Department of Energy (DOE). It also delved into [...]
ICSC: Outages on Luzon grid show need for flexible, distributed energy
by Angelica Y. Yang/Philstar.com | June 22, 2022 | READ THE STORY HERE MANILA, Philippines — Problems with power supply on the Luzon grid, which was placed on red alert and saw power outages last Saturday — highlight the need for flexible and distributed power system that is not dependent on large centralized power plants, a local climate and energy policy group said. Supply has been tight this week, with coal-fired plants going offline in Tuesday and Wednesday. Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) chief data scientist Jephraim Manansala said in a statement Wednesday that making up for [...]