NGCP seen spending P463B to boost transmission network

National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has earmarked a total of P463 billion to spend on infrastructure and facilities over the next 10 years to beef up its transmission network, more than double the amount laid out over the past decade.

“Our projects, which will be worth P188 billion by the end of 2019, and those in the pipeline, are meticulously planned by our engineers and updated year after year with careful consideration for the needs of every single area in the country,” NGCP said in a statement.

NGCP’s Transmission Development Plan (TDP) lines up priority projects to improve transmission backbones and alternative transmission corridors, and to develop resiliency policies for power transmission facilities.

The grid operator is set to complete more projects in the coming years, including 500-kilovolt substation projects in Taguig City and Marilao, Bulacan; and 230-kv substations in Pasay, Navotas, and Antipolo — all of which are intended to keep up with the power load growth of Metro Manila.

There are also the Cebu-Bohol 230-kv Interconnection Project intended to accommodate the load growth and provide reliability of Bohol Island; the Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay Interconnection Project meant to accommodate the load growth and provide reliability on  Boracay Island; and the Visayas Voltage Improvement Project to improve the power quality in Visayas.

There are the Mindanao 230-kv backbone project which will upgrade the region’s transmission capacity; the Mindanao Substation Upgrading Project which intends to increase the substation capacity, and the Kabacan 138-kv Substation Project which will contribute to power reliability in South Western Mindanao area.