NGCP sets 10-year plan to upgrade, maintain transmission facilities

MANILA, Philippines—The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines has issued the draft of its Transmission Development Plan, a crucial document that will outline the programs and measures to be undertaken over the next 10 years to ensure the stability of transmission facilities nationwide.

The TDP has been prepared and will be implemented by NGCP—in consultation with all concerned stakeholders—in a bid to expand, upgrade, rehabilitate, repair and maintain the nationwide transmission system, as mandated by the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.

“There is a need to augment and strengthen transmission capacity to support a unified grid. New transmission corridors in the load centers must be identified and built before open spaces and rights of way become unavailable. The grid must be upgraded,” the NGCP explained.

“A strong transmission network is essential to support the competitive retail electricity market. Old and heavily loaded sub-transmission facilities that have not been divested must be expanded and upgraded. The aggressive timeline of new power plants, particularly Renewable Energy (RE), market demand and change in technology require new investments,” it further said in its TDP.

According to the NGCP, part of the TDP will be allotted the major network capital expenditures (capex) projects for the Third Regulatory Period (2011-2015).

NGCP has earmarked P48 billion over the next four years, to further improve the efficiency and reliability of the country’s transmission network.

The NGCP said the issuance of the 2011 TDP was also in preparation for public consultation meetings scheduled starting January next year.

NGCP is a private corporation solely responsible for the operation and maintenance of the country’s power transmission network. It has been tasked to balance the demand and supply of electricity to be able to efficiently serve all of its customers, which include generators, private distribution utilities, electric cooperatives, local government units, economic zones, industries and directly connected companies.