NGCP stabilizes north Luzon power highway

National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has upgraded its transmission facilities in the Ilocos region in order to provide customers a stable and reliable power supply.

NGCP said it recently overhauled and strengthened two transmission lines, the Bauang-Bacnotan and Bacnotan-San Esteban 230 kilovolt (kV) lines, in La Union. The lines are part of the Bacnotan Tap-Bacnotan Substation transmission project.

The upgraded lines, traversing the areas of Bitalag, Calautit, and Narra in Bacnotan, La Union, involved replacing wooden poles with steel structures and building 11 towers.

NGCP said the the wooden poles replaced, totaling 75 structures, were all second-hand and constructed in the late 1990s. Back then, the operation of the transmission lines was still being handled by the government.

“We are now focused on how we can further enhance the grid not only for our northern Luzon customers, but for every customer connected to the power grid,” NGCP said.

NGCP commissioned a new 100-megavolt amperes (MVA) power transformer last April 17 at the Tuguegarao substation to increase energy transmission capacity for north Luzon customers. NGCP had said the facility would benefit customers in the Cagayan, Isabela, Kalinga, and Apayao provinces.

The facility improvement, a part of the system operator’s Luzon Substation Expansion Project, almost doubled the capacity of the Tuguegarao substation to 190 MVA. This meant the substation now has more room to transmit additional power supply from new generators and to accommodate the incoming demand from Lallo airport and several businesses in the area.

“This development is the result of a series of substation expansions to ensure our facilities operate at an optimal level and, at the same time, are ready to sustain an increase in both power supply and demand,” NGCP said.

The grid operator said it may replicate the substation strengthening project  throughout the rest of its facilities nationwide.