MANILA — Senator Win Gatchalian is calling on the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to conduct a closer review of the growing number of power plant outages, following renewed concerns over grid reliability.
The senator said regulators should assess whether affected generating facilities are still meeting required reliability standards, as repeated disruptions continue to trigger supply warnings.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) recently placed the Visayas grid under a yellow alert after available power reserves fell below safe levels.
NGCP data showed that 14 power plants have gone on forced outage since the beginning of the month, contributing to tight supply conditions.
Gatchalian warned that the recurring unplanned shutdowns are a key driver of yellow and red alerts that frequently hit during the summer months, raising concerns over system stability and possible impacts on electricity costs.
He also noted that the ERC has tools to soften the impact of rate adjustments on consumers, including staggered implementation of price increases when necessary.
The senator further pushed for tighter oversight of generation companies, saying stronger enforcement and accountability are needed to prevent repeated outages and ensure a more stable power supply nationwide.
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