Illegal settlers already delayed for two years the upgrading of the San Jose-Quezon 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said.
In a statement, NGCP said it legally holds the right-of-way (ROW) in the areas near and around the project but illegal settlers along the high-voltage lines are making it difficult for the company to implement the upgrade.
The project, which was originally scheduled for completion in 2013, aimed to prevent transmission congestion by establishing 19 kilometers of lines, power circuit breakers, and associated equipment at NGCP’s San Jose and Quezon substations.
San Jose is the main merging point of bulk generation coming from northern Luzon. The project is part of the company’s measures to improve the transmission system as the demand in Metro Manila continues to increase and the substations become heavily loaded.
NGCP identified 23 “workable” tower sites for the said line project, but 67 sites were deemed “not workable” and troublesome because of stalled negotiations with the informal settlers.
Of the 67 sites, 10 are already the subject of expropriation cases filed by the company, while 57 are still undergoing negotiations.
There are 1,022 houses and structures along the San Jose-Quezon line. Only 24 of the 85 that agreed to receive payment have already been relocated. The rest are in various stages of validation, processing, and negotiations.
Despite repeated pleas, informal settlers in Quezon City, Caloocan City, Valenzuela City, and San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan allegedly still refused to allow NGCP linemen to enter the properties to conduct line and tower inspection, maintenance, and upgrading activities.
“To begin with, these homes and structures should never have been built so close to, or directly underneath our lines,” NGCP said.
NGCP said it has repeatedly and continuously warned the residents that the breakdown of power transmission structures would result in the loss of bulk power supply to Metro Manila.