NGCP presents 10-year development plan

Business Mirror
14 Apr 2014 Written by Lenie Lectura

GRID operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has presented to various stakeholders its latest Transmission Development Plan (TDP).

Although it did not publicly reveal the details of the TDP, NGCP said this involves ongoing and future transmission projects in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao from 2014 to 2023.

Transmission projects in the pipeline will address the entry of new-generation plants, projected load growth, transmission congestion, system reliability and power quality, and will interconnect major islands.

Apart from putting up new transmission backbones, NGCP also intends to rehabilitate and repair existing transmission lines and substation equipment, and upgrade their system. All the projects, it said, will be implemented after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) grants its approval.

In preparing for the TDP, the NGCP said it conducted consultation talks with the Department of Energy (DOE), National Transmission Corp., Grid Management Committee, Philippine Electricity Market Corp., generation companies, distribution utilities and concerned organizations.

Three public consultations were held in Davao, Cebu and Alabang on March 26, 28 and April 1, respectively. “We intend to create a transmission development plan that is responsive to the needs, not just of our direct customers, but of the thousands of industries dependent on electricity. This is also one of the ways for NGCP to allow wider market competition by making the grid friendly and accommodating to new power generators,” said NGCP President Henry Sy Jr. in a statement.

The TDP is a 10-year plan updated annually. It will be integrated with the DOE’s Power Development Plan and Philippine Energy Plan to create an comprehensive program for the country's energy requirements. NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining and developing the country’s power grid. It transmits high-voltage electricity through “power superhighways.” source