Sy-led National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said it would build six towers for the new San Esteban–Laoag 230-kV transmission line project inside the Northern Luzon Hill National Park in Ilocos Sur.
NGCP said the project was in the preconstruction stage. It is part of a so-called Norther Luzon loop being built by the operator of the country’s transmission network to serve the growing number of wind power projects in the region.
As construction of the towers would displace trees in the national park in Santa, Ilocos Sur, NGCP has committed to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to plant 100 trees for every tree cut for the construction of the line.
The San Esteban–Laoag 230-kV transmission line project is part of NGCP’s Transmission Development Plan (TDP).
The “Northern Luzon 230-kilovolt looping” is one of the new transmission projects of NGCP for the third regulatory period covering 2011 to 2015.
The backbone is seen to provide adequate transmission facilities for the huge wind power generation potential in the region and, at the same time, improve the overall reliability of the transmission network.
Additional transmission lines may be needed given the number of proposed wind power projects in northern Luzon, the company said.
Local wind power developers have been pushing for transmission lines not only in northern Luzon but also within the so-called wind corridors in the country, including Aklan and Guimaras, to boost investments in the sector. Aside from NorthWind Power Development Corp., which already has an operating wind farm in Northern Luzon, other companies involved in wind power development are Ayala Corp. , Lopez-led Energy Development Corp., Alternergy Wind One Corp., Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp., PetroEnergy Resources Corp., Energy Logics Philippines Inc. of the Delgado group and UPC Renewables.