NGCP upgrades Visayas transmission lines for more power plants

MANILA, Philippines—The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines is beefing up its transmission network and the power grid in the Visayas, as more power plants have begun operating on the island, a move that will ensure the reliable and adequate supply of electricity.

These projects will be partly funded by a portion of the P14.3-billion capital expenditure budget set by the NGCP for this year alone.

According to the NGCP, one of the ongoing projects on the island is Phase I of the Negros-Panay Interconnection Uprating Project, which will involve the expansion of the Dingle substation, the construction of the new Barotac Viejo substation, and the installation of the second circuit for Barotac Viejo-Dingle 138-kilovolt (kV) transmission line.

The project is estimated to be completed in July 2012.

Another major development is the P1.4-million Southern Panay Backbone transmission Project, which would include the expansion of Sta. Barbara substation, construction of a total of 93.15 kilometers of 138-kV and 69-kV overhead transmission lines utilizing steel tower structures, and the construction of the new San Jose substation.

This project is estimated to be completed in the first quarter of 2013.

In its pre-construction stage is the Culasi-San Jose 69kV Transmission line project, which involves the construction of 84 kilometers of transmission line and the expansion of Culasi and San Jose substations.

In addition to these major projects, power circuit breakers in Dingle, Panit-an and Sta. Barbara substations are being replaced to ensure dependability of the equipment.

“These projects are expected to accommodate the load growth in the island, enhance system reliability, and maintain power quality delivered to electricity users in Panay,” the company said.

In Eastern Samar, the NGCP is continuing to strengthen the power grid with the rehabilitation of the Wright-Taft-Borongan-McArthur 69- kV transmission line.

As of March 31, 2012, a total of 376 wooden transmission poles and lightweight steel towers have been replaced since the rehabilitation project started in June 2011. The rehabilitation is expected to increase line reliability and significantly lessen the probability of line outages, especially during extreme weather conditions.

Another project in the area is the Sta. Rita-Quinapondan 69-kV transmission line project, which aims to make the transmission network more reliable by providing an alternate power corridor to the substations of Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative Inc.

NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining and developing the country’s power grid and electricity superhighways. Its regular maintenance activities and ongoing projects aim to enhance the system reliability and maintain the quality of power delivered to electricity users.