For the third consecutive day, the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) has been placed on standby for Manual Load Dropping (MLD) following same-day notices from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
The rotating power interruptions come as the Luzon and Visayas grids continue to struggle with high demand and thinning power reserves. As the grid operator, NGCP implements MLD to protect the integrity of the power system. This emergency measure is triggered when power demand exceeds available supply, threatening the stability of the entire grid. Government regulators in the power industry, namely the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), have directed NGCP to submit a comprehensive incident report regarding the Luzon and Visayas grid alerts and MLD incidents that occurred on March 14.
Timeline of Recent Interruptions The current power crisis has resulted in escalating interruptions over the last 48 hours. On May 13, BENECO implemented emergency load dropping during peak hours from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM in compliance with a Red Alert notice. The interruptions affected Circuits 4 and 5 in Benguet, as well as Feeders 3, 3A, 9, 10, and 12 serving La Trinidad, Tublay, and Sablan.
This was followed on May 14 by a directive issued at 3:28 PM to drop 20 MW of demand, resulting in outages affecting Feeders 1, 2, 3, 11, and 12, along with the Virac Poblacion, Itogon, and Ampucao reclosers. Although power was fully restored by 5:18 PM, the emergency load drops occurred immediately after a previously scheduled preventive maintenance shutdown earlier that morning.
The Grid Situation Today Today, BENECO’s technical department received notice to prepare for another possible 20 MW load drop between 3:00 PM and 10:00 PM. BENECO engineers remain in constant coordination with NGCP personnel to monitor real-time requirements and inform consumers through advisories at the soonest possible time.
To minimize the impact on essential services, BENECO carefully selects feeders for MLD that do not serve hospitals or critical government and military installations — a priority considered especially vital during the upcoming PMA Graduation activities. Understanding the “Superhighway” NGCP’s transmission system acts as the “superhighway” for electricity, transporting power from independent producers to distribution utilities. BENECO, which serves 242,553 consumers, is the final link in this chain.
When the “superhighway” lacks sufficient power supply from generating plants, BENECO must reduce its intake to prevent a total system collapse. Part of the Transmission System Charge collected by distribution utilities like BENECO is the ancillary service charge. This fee is remitted to NGCP to compensate power generators contracted by the grid operator.
These generators remain on standby to provide power during supply shortages, ensuring grid stability and preventing system-wide failures. BENECO management acknowledged the frustration of its member-consumers and sincerely appealed for patience during this period of grid instability. “We are highly dependent on the notices and supply levels dictated by NGCP,” the cooperative stated. “We encourage everyone to continue practicing energy conservation in their homes and businesses.
Small reductions in consumption can collectively help ease the strain on the grid and reduce the need for further interruptions.” As of 630 PM, no NGCP MDL Advisory yet that includes BENECO in the EC list that will implement emergency manual load dropping.
