TUESDAY’S blackout on Panay Island, a jarring disruption on the first workday of 2024, has left residents and officials deeply concerned and frustrated. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), as the primary operator of the country’s power grid, must urgently address this issue with clarity and a commitment to prevent future occurrences.
This power outage, affecting a significant part of the island including Iloilo City, Capiz, Guimaras, Aklan, Antique, and even parts of Negros Occidental, is not just an inconvenience but a critical failure in infrastructure. The simultaneous tripping of multiple power plants points to an underlying vulnerability in the grid’s stability and resilience.
NGCP’s explanation of the incident, citing trippings at the Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) and Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (PCPC), alongside the preventive maintenance of PEDC Unit 3, raises more questions than answers. The blackout’s timing, impacting the first workday of the year, only compounds its severity. Such disruptions are not just a matter of lost convenience but can have profound economic impacts and shake public confidence in critical infrastructure.
Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas’ reaction, emphasizing the unacceptable nature of a complete isolation of Panay Island due to unstable power supply, is a sentiment echoed widely. His call for the Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and other regulatory bodies to hold NGCP accountable is both timely and necessary. Accountability in this context is not just about assigning blame but ensuring that NGCP undertakes a thorough investigation and transparently communicates the causes and proposed solutions to the public and relevant authorities.
The issuance of a “yellow alert” by NGCP, indicating a low operating margin due to the tripping of major plants, is a symptom of a larger issue. While it is understandable that certain technical challenges are inevitable, the frequency and impact of these incidents suggest a need for a more robust, resilient, and redundant system.
Moreover, the incident underscores the need for diversification and decentralization of power sources on Panay Island. Reliance on a few major plants makes the grid vulnerable to such cascading failures.
