Transmission line projects near completion

Manila Bulletin 
Published: August 8, 2013 
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) announced yesterday that most of its transmission line projects, including those being upgraded, are in their final stages of completion to address load growth in many areas around the country.
NGCP President Henry T. Sy Jr. told the 34th Annual General Membership Meeting of Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Inc. (PHILRECA) at PICC yesterday, some critical transmission lines and upgrading projects are expected to be completed by end of 2013.
Sy, in a speech read for him by special assistant to the president, Joseph Ferdinand M. Dechavez, said that NGCP is pursuing the implementation of projects like the Colon-Cebu 138-kV Transmissionto mitigate the impact of line rental charges on customers in Bohol and Panay.
“This will reinforce the Cebu backbone which is transmitting the 246 MW of CEDC Coal and the 200 MW of KSPC Coal Power Plants to electric cooperatives in Cebu and in Bohol,” he said, adding that the Visayan Electric Company, BOHECO I, Mactan Enerzone Corporation, General Milling Corporation and the Waterfront Hotel and Casino will stand to benefit from the project once completed in December 2013.
In Mindanao, he said that the Balo-i-Villanueva-Maramag transmission project will also be finished in December, completing the Mindanao 230-kV Transmission Backbone which links Northern and Southern Mindanao.
Also, Sy added that the second circuit of the Butuan-Placer 138-kV transmission project, that will provide power supply to mining operations in Northeastern Mindanao, will soon be implemented.
More transmission lines and upgrading are also due for completion in 2014, he said, citing the Lumban-Bay 230-kV transmission line and the Opol Substation Project as among them.
The Lumban Bay 230-kV transmission line in Laguna is being upgraded from 600 MVA to 2,400 MVA. Started in December 2011 and targeted for completion in June 2014, the project will provide an alternate highway to the more than 2,000 MW capacity presently connected to the 230-kV system in the Batangas area, he said.
“Once completed, the Calaca Substation will no longer be the single merging node in the area, therefore, major grid disturbances affecting the Luzon Grid can be averted,” Sy Jr. said.
In Mindanao, the Opol Substation Project will be completed November 2014, he said. Strategically located near the load centers of CEPALCO and MORESCO I, the project is expected to improve the reliability of transmission services for the newly opened Laguindingan International Airport.
Last May, NGCP commissioned new capacitors in Magapit, Cagayan to address the low voltage problem in the province due to increasing load, and to help address the difficulties of maintaining a 124 kilometer-long 69-kV line from Tuguegarao-Magapit to Magapit-Sta. Ana. 
To complement this, NGCP also works on capacity additions in the Tuguegarao Substation to accommodate load increases due to the entry of the new Lal-lo Airport, and new developments in Port Irene.
NGCP, earlier, received a Provisional Authority from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to accelerate the implementation of the Cebu-Negros-Panay 230-kV Backbone Project-Stage 1. The project will provide an additional 240 MW to the existing Negros-Panay interconnection, directly benefiting electric cooperatives in Panay which source power from outside the island.
NGCP also disclosed that ERC has completed hearings for the Tuguegarao-Lal-lo 230-kV and the Laoag-Bangui 230-kV which are major components of the North Luzon 230-kV Transmission Loop.
Also, NGCP said that it anticipates ERC’s issuance of the Provisional Authority for the Agus 6 Switchyard Upgrading and Rehabilitation Project, which was filed in January 2013.  It is scheduled to be completed in November 2015.
The project will connect Agus 6 and 7 Hydro Power Plants to the grid that will contribute to the stability of power supply in Mindanao. LANECO, Iligan Light and Power, Inc., Mabuhay Vinyl, Treasure Steelworks, Pilmico, and Platinum Group Metals Corporation are direct beneficiaries of the project.
To accommodate entry of the 300-MW Davao Coal-Fired Plant that will address the power supply shortage in Mindanao, NGCP also expects the approval of the accelerated implementation of the Toril Substation and the upgrading of Toril-Davao 138-kV line, a project programmed for completion in 2015.  source