The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) marked several milestones and achievements in 2024, including the completion of four major grid projects that have significantly bolstered the reliability of the country’s grid infrastructure.
The NGCP inaugurated the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) in January, the Cebu-Negros-Panay 230-kiloVolt (kV) backbone in April, and the Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose 500kV Line in July.
Capping its fruitful year, the NGCP also fully completed the Cebu-Bohol Interconnection Project in September, which plays a crucial role in improving transmission services and grid stability in Central Visayas and helps develop the transmission highway in Cebu, the load center of Visayas, through a new line that will transmit power in and out of the province.
“These achievements reflect the NGCP’s strong commitment to advancing our grid infrastructure to ensure a more stable and resilient power supply for households, businesses, and industries,” the transmission grid operator said in a statement Jan. 6.
Aside from the completion of big-ticket projects, the NGCP provided better service at a lower cost, charging only P0.55 centavos per kilowatt-hour, compared to P0.74 under TransCo. The amount is equivalent to just 3.39 percent of the electricity bill, while generation and distribution charges make up the bulk at 53.17 percent and 21.81 percent, respectively.
Since NGCP took over the transmission operations from TransCo in 2009, outages went down by 82 percent, reflecting the significant improvement in the efficiency and reliability of the country’s grid under its watch.
Amid the successful year, the NGCP is not resting on its laurels as it intends to complete more projects in the coming years.
These include the New Antipolo 230kV Substation in Rizal, Laguindingan 230kV Substation in Misamis Oriental, and substation upgrading, voltage improvement, and reliability projects in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Other projects scheduled for completion, barring any further right-of-way, permitting, and other external delays, include the Tuguegarao–Lal-lo (Magapit) 230kV Transmission Line, Ambuklao-Binga-San Manuel 230kV Line, Western Luzon 500kV Backbone Stage 2, Marilao Extra High Voltage Substation, Tuy 500/230 kV Project Stage 1, Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay 138kV Line, Cebu-Lapu Lapu 230kV Transmission Line, Lapu Lapu 230kV Substation Project, Tacurong-Kalamansig 69 kV Transmission Line Project, and other upgrading projects.
“Despite challenges being encountered in right-of-way acquisition and permitting, with the support of relevant government agencies, we are optimistic that we are on track to finish these projects in the pipeline,” the NGCP said.
The transmission grid operator renewed its appeal for the swift resolution and approval of applications filed with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), which affects the company’s operations.
As a highly regulated entity, NGCP needs the ERC’s approval to implement its projects and to recover the costs spent in building these transmission facilities.
“We remain hopeful that the ERC will support our efforts by ensuring a timely and fair recovery for our capital expenditure. This recovery is vital to sustaining our investment in enhancing the reliability and capacity of our energy infrastructure,” the corporation stressed. ||
