Negros Power shields half of consumers from NGCP outage

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By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY — The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines carried out major system maintenance over the weekend, but local power distributor Negros Power successfully mitigated its impact, sparing nearly half of affected consumers from an all-day power outage.

The scheduled NGCP maintenance was conducted Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to facilitate essential work along the Bacolod–Alijis 69-kilovolt transmission line.

The shutdown affected Negros Power’s Murcia and Alijis substations, which collectively supply power to 93,994 customers.

However, through the company’s advanced load transfer system, the number of affected consumers was reduced to 47,102, effectively shielding 46,892 households and businesses from interruption.

This successful maneuver underscored the effectiveness of Negros Power’s ongoing system rehabilitation and modernization program, which includes automation, redundancy, and equipment upgrades aimed at ensuring continuous and reliable power service.

“We maximized our redundant lines and load break switches to tie up the affected feeders to other feeders and substations with enough supply,” said Engr. Leomel Tambanillo, Negros Power assistant vice president for planning and business operations and company spokesperson.

“This strategic maneuver allowed us to save almost 50% of our consumers from the scheduled outage.”

Negros Power also took advantage of the NGCP shutdown window to expedite its own system upgrades and line rehabilitation as part of its five-year modernization program for Central Negros.

The company said every scheduled NGCP power interruption is treated as an opportunity to carry out internal network improvements to enhance performance and reduce the need for separate outages in the future.

“We always make sure that every time NGCP requests a power interruption, we take advantage of that window to perform our upgrades,” Tambanillo said.

“We maximize these opportunities to modernize our system and ensure better service for everyone.”

Negros Power reported that these initiatives have already led to a 70% reduction in unscheduled power interruptions, reflecting major progress toward its goal of uninterrupted power service across Central Negros.

“Our ultimate goal is to make the entire Central Negros power distribution system smarter, stronger, and ultimately free from unscheduled power interruptions,” Tambanillo said.

“We are investing in technology and infrastructure to make that vision a reality.”

Negros Power expressed its appreciation for the patience and support of consumers, assuring the public that its ongoing modernization efforts are dedicated to creating a more stable, reliable, and future-ready power distribution system for the region.