Congressional Hearing Highlights Urgent Need for Baseload Capacity
- May 30, 2026
Table of Contents
The congressional hearing on the recurring red and yellow alerts in Luzon underscored one clear conclusion: the Philippines urgently needs more baseload power capacity.
During a joint hearing of the House Committees on Energy and Legislative Franchises on May 26, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) President and CEO Anthony Almeda denied allegations before lawmakers that it failed to promptly submit reports to energy regulators following the consecutive tripping incidents involving the 500-kilovolt (kV) Ilijan-Dasmariñas and Ilijan-Tayabas transmission lines.
The transmission line disruptions earlier this month were believed to have triggered a series of red and yellow alerts across the Luzon and Visayas grids, leading to rotational power interruptions in several affected areas. The resulting manual load dropping affected more than 3.9 million consumers across Metro Manila, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.
The power interruptions prompted House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez to file House Resolution (HR) No. 1024 on May 18, ultimately leading to the joint congressional hearing.
(Also read: DOE Warns Of More Grid Alerts As El Niño Threatens Power Supply)
NGCP Addresses Allegations
According to NGCP CEO Anthony Almeda, the transmission lines tripped on May 13, 2026, at 4:46 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., respectively, with SMS advisories issued within minutes of each incident. He added that the Ilijan-Tayabas outage triggered the issuance of a Significant Incident Notice (SIN) followed by a Significant Incident Report (SIR) about 90 minutes later.
Under the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Resolution No. 13 (Series of 2010), SINs and SIRs are required to be submitted within 15 minutes and 60 minutes of an incident, respectively.
While the grid operator acknowledged that its SIR was submitted beyond the required 60-minute window, it said efforts to restore affected lines and stabilize the grid were prioritized amid worsening system conditions.
“We underline that we were able to restore the two affected lines within 8 and 12 hours, despite the mountainous terrain and rainy weather conditions in the area,” stated Almeda. “These lines are regularly maintained, with the last inspection conducted in April 2026.”
Almeda noted that the grid operator is still looking into the cause of the transmission disturbance, adding, “Sabotage has not yet been ruled out, and we have already requested the PNP (Philippine National Police) for assistance.”
Power System Strained by Inadequate Generation and Supply
Almeda emphasized that the grid alerts were “truly the result of a series of unfortunate events.” He explained that on May 12, a day before the transmission incident, 31 power plants were already either on forced shutdown or operating at reduced capacity, while the Luzon grid recorded its highest demand for 2026 at 14,268 megawatts (MW).
He also stated that the Visayas grid had already been placed under yellow alert due to unplanned generation outages, stressing that no significant transmission incident occurred in the region on that day.
NGCP Public Relations Chief Cynthia Alabanza also informed the joint panel that the grid operator acknowledges its responsibility in relation to the red alerts. “While we do not deny the line trippings, the prolonged red alerts cannot be attributed to the transmission lines alone,” she asserted. “Additional generating units went on shutdown even after the transmission lines had already been restored.”
Meanwhile, Murang Kuryente Party-list Rep. Arthur Yap concluded the recent rotating brownouts ultimately stemmed from insufficient power supply. During the hearing, he pressed Department of Energy (DOE) officials on whether the focus should be on the NGCP’s incident reporting practices or on the underlying shortage of available generation capacity that led to the actual power interruptions.
“Sa DOE, you’re trying to tell me that the entire explanation on rotating brownout ay dahil hindi nakapag-file on time ang NGCP sa report nila? (Are you saying that, in the DOE’s view, the whole explanation for the rotating brownouts is simply that NGCP failed to submit its report on time?).” Yap asked.
He stressed that the recurring outages are more clearly driven by generation shortfalls rather than administrative lapses.
Additionally, Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said he sees no basis to hold the NGCP responsible for the recent rotating brownouts, stressing that the system operator properly fulfilled its mandate. He also pointed out that the broader issue facing the power sector lies in supply adequacy rather than transmission performance.
“Hanggang ngayon, may yellow alert pa rin sa Visayas kasi maraming planta ang naka-out (The Visayas grid is still under a yellow alert due to several power plants being out of service),” he said.
Almeda asserted that the Luzon grid remained under normal operating conditions immediately after the tripping of the transmission lines. It was only later in the day that grid alerts were raised, after several generating plants, including Binga, Casecnan, and Limay, went on unplanned shutdown by around 1 p.m., while electricity demand projections also climbed by 312 MW.
Red Alerts Largely Tied to Power Generation
NGCP said power supply conditions were already constrained ahead of May 13, with a significant portion of generating capacity offline or operating at reduced output. In Luzon, around 1,728 MW were unavailable due to forced outages and derated plants, while the Visayas had about 857 MW out of service, leaving the region under a yellow alert even before the transmission line incident occurred.
Data presented during the hearing covering 2016 to 2025 indicated that the vast majority of red alerts were driven by generation-related problems. Out of 243 recorded red alerts, 235 were attributed to issues in power generation, accounting for 96.7% of the total.
“To peg the May 13 to 15 grid alerts as caused only by the transmission outage is not only misleading, but will not permit energy industry players and responsible government agencies to formulate relevant and lasting solutions, as key parts of the problem are conveniently ignored,” highlighted Almeda.
He noted that red alerts, which are more severe than yellow alerts, have increasingly become a recurring annual occurrence.
While operational disturbances are an inevitable part of the power system, Almeda added that unplanned shutdowns can occur across the supply chain despite proper maintenance. He stressed that what matters most is the ability to quickly restore operations and limit the impact on consumers.
(Also read: Is the Green Transition Truly Green? Communities Push Back on Renewable Energy Projects)
Need for Reliable Baseload Power
The NGCP reiterated the need for a long-term and integrated energy strategy to help prevent recurring power disruptions.
“…we need more baseload supply. Otherwise, red alerts will continue to be a regular occurrence,” said Almeda. “The incoming solar capacity is a welcome addition to our pool of energy sources. But, as the sun begins to set, and solar power harvest starts waning, the system again loses much-needed capacity.”
He highlighted that the red alerts that came after the transmission line tripping started in the mid-afternoon and continued until midnight, a period when solar generation was no longer available.
The grid operator also flagged the Visayas grid’s reliance on imported electricity from Luzon and Mindanao, stressing that inter-island power transfers should remain a backup support rather than a primary supply source.
Meanwhile, Pangasinan 2nd District Rep. Mark Cojuangco raised concerns over the government’s long-term energy strategy, warning that an increasing shift toward renewables is not being matched with adequate baseload support. He argued that solar plants typically operate at only about 15% capacity, or roughly 3.6 hours of effective daily generation, while existing battery storage remains insufficient to cover evening demand.
Cojuangco maintained that renewable energy is being presented as a full solution to the country’s power requirements, despite its limitations in meeting overall demand.
“This is an example of marketing,” he declared. “The public is being misled about the capability of wind and solar.” He cautioned that an overreliance on intermittent energy sources without adequate baseload capacity could drive up electricity costs and heighten risks to energy security.
During the hearing, House Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand “Dinand” Hernandez of South Cotabato said the inquiry went beyond pinpointing technical lapses, stressing that it also aimed to ensure accountability and establish long-term safeguards to prevent another major grid failure.
“This inquiry should remain constructive, solution-oriented, and responsive to the concerns of the public,” he said. “That is why we must move beyond reactive responses and work toward a more proactive and resilient energy system.”
Sources:
https://mb.com.ph/2026/05/26/ngcp-tells-house-joint-panel-reports-on-tripping-submitted-on-time
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2234978/ngcp-clarifies-we-can-only-transmit-power-if-its-available
https://mb.com.ph/2026/05/26/rodriguez-refuses-to-blame-ngcp-for-rotating-brownouts-heres-why
https://manilastandard.net/news/314744943/solons-hit-doe-over-power-cuts.html
