Transmission line underpinning Agus plants back to operation

by Myrna Velasco March 16, 2016
http://www.mb.com.ph/transmission-line-underpinning-agus-plants-back-to-operation/

With much government intervention to raise awareness on the issue, a court order has finally allowed the repair and eventual return-to-operation of the damaged transmission line underpinning the wheeling of capacity of the Agus hydro generating facilities.

It said that the inter-agency task force “successfully restored tower No. 25,” noting that restoration activities started March 5 after a ruling from a Lanao del Sur regional trial court was served to the Sambitory family.

The energy department was referring to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Securing Energy Facilities

(IATFSEF) that it has been spearheading with the imprimatur of Malacañang.

The Sambitory family was considered the ultimate gridlock in the transmission line’s restoration since the bombing incident that downed it December last year. They are the landowners who have prevented government forces and NGCP from having access to the facility’s site when they set immediate repair works at the facility.

Energy Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada asserted that this breakthrough in bringing back the transmission line to operation had been achieved through collaboration of various stakeholders.

With the line back, the overall generation capacity of the Agus hydropower complex can be ramped up by additional 80 megawatts – the estimated dependable capacity of the Agus 1 and 2 plants which have been isolated from the grid for some time due to the damaged transmission facility.

Essentially, this will ease anxiety of government over probable supply disruption in Mindanao grid during the summer months and the election period.

Monsada said “the desire to sustain the reliability of the transmission grid does not end at restoring the toppled transmission tower, but more on stimulating the continued support of the people on the programs relative to the maintenance of integrity and reliability of all energy assets.”


Mindanao has recently been getting its capacity boost with new power plants coming on stream, thus, it is expected that its years of hurdles with power interruptions may finally reach its end.