MANILA, (PIA) -- The unexpected breakdown of two units of a large power plant is said to be the culmination of the power outage experienced in Luzon on May 8, 2023, according to the initial investigation of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) ).

Although the Bolo-Masinloc 230kV Line 2 tripped first, it has an N-1 contingency which means it is operating with redundancy. When Line 2 trips, the load it carries is automatically transferred to Line 1. Either Line 1 or 2 is capable of delivering the total load for the Bolo-Masinloc 230kV facility at any time.

It is said that the consumers in Luzon Grid should not have felt this interruption due to the immediate catch of the remaining line. But there was an unexpected loss in a generating plant and it caused a complete loss of balance in supply and demand that's why the red alert happened.

“It should have ended there. Similarly, there was an unexpected and undesired response from a generating plant which tipped the balance of supply and demand, and a red alert was raised," according to the NGCP statement.

The NGCP added that before the sudden release of the power plant, there was also a failure of plants in Luzon that were not on the agreed schedule. Unplanned outages are against the Grid Operating and Maintenance Program agreed upon by NGCP and power plants and approved by the Department of Energy.

NGCP assured that major transmission projects will be completed within the coming months to strengthen the transmission system and improve power system support.

“We will continue to promote the holistic approach to power planning. The adjustment of all sectors in the power industry – from the power plant, to transmission, and to distribution – must be coordinated, so that we are all singing the same tune, and nothing will be out of tune,” said the NGCP.

"Sufficient attention must be given to each sector so that the entire System is not overworked and forced," added the company.

"We support the Department of Energy in all its efforts, and we are confident in its continued guidance in all sectors," the company said.

NGCP also assured the public and all stakeholders that it is doing everything it can in the field of transmission to provide a solution and prevent a similar incident. (PIA-NCR)