Written by Madelaine B. Miraflor Published on 20 March 2013
National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has sworn, under its deal with Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), that it will conserve a 1,300-hectare national park in Ilocos amidst its transmission line expansion within the area.
NGCP said on Wednesday that it has entered into a memorandum of agreement with the DENR to preserve the Northern Luzon Heroes Hill National Park, a protected area in Santa, Ilocos Sur to be traversed by NGCP’s new transmission line project.
The Henry Sy-led electric transmission system operator said it will construct a new 230 kilovolt (kV) line from San Esteban, Ilocos Sur to Laoag, Ilocos Norte. The double-circuit line will transmit the electricity generated from the wind power plants in Ilocos Sur to the rest of the region.
“The transmission line will also be in compliance with the N-1 contingency of NGCP which ensures the transmission system will still operate at a normal level despite the loss or malfunction of one of its major component,” NGCP said.
In constructing the San Esteban-Laoag 230kV line, six towers traversing a distance of more than 2 kilometers will be built inside the national park. NGCP committed to fund a three-year reforestation program to compensate for the trees that will be cut for the construction of the transmission line.
“We already entered into an agreement like this with DENR for our Colon-Cebu transmission project to preserve the Central Cebu Protected Landscape in the Visayas. It is a must for NGCP to comply with environmental laws and DENR’s guidelines before we push through with our projects,” said NGCP spokesman Cynthia Alabanza.
The Northern Luzon Heroes Hill National Park is a 1,300-hectare park in Ilocos Sur, which features a Molave Forest and a 25-foot pristine waterfall. The park was declared a protected area by Proclamation 132 in 1963. source
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