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MANILA, Philippines — The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has clarified that they are only able to transmit power to the country’s grid lines when it is available or if there is something to send, as the House of Representatives started its investigation on the May 13 brownouts.
In a statement delivered on Tuesday, before the House committee on energy and the committee on legislative franchises, NGCP president and chief executive officer Anthony Almeda explained that the Luzon grid remained intact even with the tripping of two 500 kilovolt (kV) lines—the Dasmariñas-Ilijan and Ilijan-Tayabas lines—by morning of May 13.
After the tripping incident, Almeda said the situation was still at normal condition, adding that alerts were only raised when other generating plants—Binga, Casecnan, and Limay—also went on unplanned shutdown by 1 p.m., and after the forecast demand increased by 312 megawatts (MW).
“From ‘normal’ grid status, the Luzon Grid was placed on alert status from 2 p.m., May 13 to 2 a.m., May 14. We underline that we were able to restore the 2 affected lines within 8 and 12 hours, despite the mountainous terrain and rainy weather conditions in the area. These lines are regularly maintained, with the last inspection conducted in April 2026,” Almeda told lawmakers.
