Lawmakers seek probe on NGCP, power outages

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

LAWMAKERS on Monday called for an investigation into the series of power transmission disturbances that caused power outages that inconvenienced the public and resulted in lost income for businesses.

On May 8, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the Luzon Grid under red and yellow alerts after a disruption resulted in rotational blackouts due to the tripping of the Bolo-Masinloc 230 kilovolt (kV) Line 2.

The alerts also affected the transfer of generated supply from the Luzon Grid to the Visayas Grid, resulting in the Visayas Grid also being placed under yellow alert.

A day later, the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) reported power supply cuts due to a “temporary system imbalance.”

“These successive transmission system disturbances caused inconvenience to communities and losses to businesses. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines as the operator of the transmission system in the country