The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is seeking to revise the rules governing power plant outages to make any penalties better match the magnitude of the violation, after the Visayas grid continued with its yellow alerts. ERC Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Francis Saturnino C. Juan said the agency is making the penalties 'more commensurate to the violation and its impact,' according to a report by BusinessWorld.
The proposed revisions come as the Visayas grid experienced repeated yellow alerts, signaling insufficient operating reserves amid power plant outages. The ERC aims to ensure that sanctions are not only punitive but also proportionate to the duration and severity of each outage, discouraging prolonged or unauthorized shutdowns.
ERC officials noted that current penalty structures may not adequately reflect the economic or reliability impact on consumers and the grid. The revised rules are expected to undergo public consultation before final approval, with the goal of improving power supply stability and accountability among generation companies.