NGCP fails to report blackout as required

Energy experts criticized the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) for failing to issue a significant incident notice after the tripping of Panay Energy Development Corporation's Unit 1, which led to a three-day blackout in Western Visayas.

During a Senate committee hearing on Thursday, ERC chairperson Mona Dimalanta stated that NGCP should have reported this event within 15 minutes as per the Philippine Grid Code.

Lawmakers from the House of Representatives also criticized NGCP for not providing regular updates about the power grid situation to stakeholders through Viber group chats and other means during the blackout period, despite previous agreements with the Department of Energy (DOE).

Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Defensor questioned why NGCP failed to provide reports on the critical hours following the initial plant shutdown.

NGCP's National Systems Operation head Clark Agustin acknowledged that they did not know the reason for the lack of Viber updates and promised to investigate, while emphasizing that SMS advisories were sent out as required.

Committee chairperson Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco noted that the Viber group was created in response to a previous power interruption incident in April 2023 and stressed its importance during national concerns like the recent blackouts.