By JORDEENE SHEEX LAGARE on September
19, 2017
The National Grid Corp. of the
Philippines (NGCP) is upbeat about completing the Visayas-Mindanao
interconnection project before President Rodrigo Duterte ends his term in 2022.
NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza
told reporters last week the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) had approved
the project in principle, which was “good news for us and we can proceed
full-speed ahead to make that December 2020 deadline.”
Alabanza noted that right-of-way was
the biggest issue that must be addressed for the VisMin interconnection
project.
“As long as the right-of-way is
ready and we encounter no significant delays on the overhead portions, we will
do everything we can to make that 2020 deadline,” she said.
Once passed in Congress, the
Anti-Power Line Disturbance Act would go a long way in helping NGCP and the
distribution utilities with right-of-way problems, she noted.
Last Thursday, the House energy
committee approved a subsitute bill seeking to ensure a continuous and
uninterrupted flow of electricity from transmission and distribution lines to
consumers.
Committee chair and Marinduque Rep.
Lord Allan Jay Velasco sponsored Committee Report No. 364 on House Substitute
Bill No. 6276. Essentially, the measure intends to keep the right-of-way
corridors of electric power lines free and clear of any dangerous obstruction
including high-growing plants and establishments.
On September 6, the ERC granted a
provisional authority for the VisMin undertaking, which would connect the
Visayas and Mindanao grids via Cebu and Zamboanga.
It is expected to be completed in 46 months.
It is expected to be completed in 46 months.
In a statement, the regulator said
it approved the project on the premise that it “would be subject to
optimization based on its actual use and/or implementation during the reset
process for the next regulatory period.”
ERC Officer-in-Charge Alfredo Non
said the initiative helps to address the problem of insufficient power
supplies.
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