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Brix Lelis - The Philippine Star
May 15, 2026 | 12:00am
Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said the gas-fired power plants of Razon-owned Prime CoreGen were “actively dispatched” after Luzon was placed under the country’s first red alert this year.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — The Luzon grid tapped major natural gas plants in Batangas to reinforce power supply amid high electricity demand and forced outages at other facilities, a senior energy official said.
Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said the gas-fired power plants of Razon-owned Prime CoreGen were “actively dispatched” after Luzon was placed under the country’s first red alert this year.
“Sta. Rita and Ilijan units exhibited sustained high utilization, EERI units showed stable mid-to-high loading, San Gabriel operated at moderate levels and Avion units remained at relatively low but consistent output levels,” Guevara told reporters yesterday.
Prime CoreGen currently operates the 1,000-megawatt Sta. Rita, 450-MW San Gabriel and 97-MW Avion plants after parent firm Prime Infra acquired a 60-percent stake in the gas assets from Lopez-led First Gen Corp.
The 1,278-MW Ilijan and 1,275-MW EERI plants, meanwhile, are jointly owned by tycoons Manuel V. Pangilinan, Ramon Ang and Sabin Aboitiz under a $3.3-billion power venture.
On Wednesday, a red alert was declared over the Luzon grid after at least 48 power plants went offline, leaving 4,681.6 MW of capacity unavailable.
The resulting supply tightness also disrupted electricity imports to the Visayas, which was likewise placed under red alert the same day.
The strain on the system led to widespread outages that left several provinces across Luzon and Visayas in the dark.
Under a red alert, power supply can no longer meet demand and the grid’s contingency requirements.
“Demand is high due to prevailing weather. We encourage energy conservation among our consumers,” Guevara said.
Consumer group Power for People Coalition (P4P), meanwhile, stressed the urgent need to strengthen the country’s energy infrastructure, urging the government to adopt policies that “genuinely protect” consumers.
“For years, consumers have continuously paid high electricity costs, yet the public is once again being asked to brace for power interruptions caused by recurring supply shortages and vulnerabilities in the country’s energy system,” the group said.
“This situation underscores the continuing failure to ensure an accessible, reliable and sufficient power supply for the people,” it added.
