NGCP boosting power grid for booming Boracay

National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), the country’s grid operator, is targeting to finish in two years’ time a P5.48-billion transmission project to meet the increasing demand in Boracay Island.

NGCP said the 138-kiloVolt (kV) Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay line would help address the growing load requirements or growing demand for electricity and provide reliability on the island and the entire Aklan province.

Henry Labrada, head of NGCP’s interconnection projects division, said the current transmission line could still accommodate the area’s power demand that was inching closer to the maximum capacity of 27 megawatts.

Labrada said prior to the coronavirus pandemic, consumption was at 37 megawatts.

“Luckily, the pandemic curtailed the demand. Yet because of that, we encountered delays in undertaking the project,” he added.

Based on their simulations, electricity demand was projected to reach 102 MW by 2030 and increase further to 175 MW by 2040. This prompted NGCP to reinforce its existing transmission lines in the area.

Labrada said the Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay project is underway as they have already started the site development and the heavy equipment to be used for this line has already arrived.

“We still have to resolve some issues in implementing projects as many issues might crop up,” he added.
The project has various components: underground and submarine cables connecting the mainland to Boracay Island, overhead transmission lines, a cable terminal station, a new Boracay substation and an upgraded Nabas substation.

“The existing 69 kV submarine cable and overhead line serving the island is no longer adequate to support load growth in the coming years. Under the project, NGCP will reinforce the grid with an additional submarine cable and upgrading the existing 69kV facilities to 138kV,” it said.

“With tourism leading the post-COVID economic recovery, Boracay Island is recording a spurt in visitor arrivals. With the increased activity projected to surpass prepandemic levels, there is a need for grid expansion and development projects to keep up with the increasing demand for power,” it added.

The project is among those certified as an energy project of national significance (EPNS) by the Energy Investment Coordinating Council, which was led by the Department of Energy, in 2019.