The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is seeking regulatory approval for 11 vital transmission projects worth over P34 billion.
In a filing with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), the grid operator said these proposed projects are meant to ensure a reliable and high-performance operation of the country’s power transmission system.
“Thus, to avoid disruption of operation and to ensure continuous compliance with NGCP’s mandate under the EPIRA [Electric Power Industry Reform Act] as the transmission operator, it is imperative that the implementation of the proposed capex [capital expenditure] projects be immediately approved,” NGCP said in its 14-page application.
In Luzon, NGCP’s capex projects for 2021-2025 are the Luzon Voltage Improvement Project 6 (P1.4 billion), Pinamucan-Tuy 500-kilovolt (kV) Transmission Line Project (P6.24 billion), South Luzon Substation Upgrading Project (P5.8 billion), Ambuklao-Binga 230-kV Transmission Line Upgrading Project (P1 billion), and the Binga-San Manuel 230-kV Transmission Line Project (P4 billion).
In Visayas, it proposed to undertake the Permanent Restoration of Panitan-Nabas 138-kV Line affected by Typhoon Ursula (P316 million) and the Visayas Voltage Improvement Project 2 (P2.27 billion).
In Mindanao, the proposed capex projects of NGCP are the Malaybalay 138-kV Substation Project (P2 billion), Tumaga 138-kV Substation Project (2.33 billion), and the Sultan Kudarat-Pinaring 69-kV Transmission Line Upgrading Project (540 million).
NGCP also proposed to undertake the P8.9-billion Grid Protection Relay Replacement Project, which involves the replacement of protection relays in the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao grids, worth P8.93 billion.
The NGCP asked the ERC to immediately issue an order provisionally authorizing the implementation of the proposed capex projects and approved these after the necessary hearings are conducted.
The grid operator announced last month that it is P440 billion for capital expenditures from 2021 to 2033, as it intends to invest in 211 vital transmission projects across the country.
In a preliminary prospectus filed by Synergy Grid and Development Philippines Inc., which owns 60 percent of NGCP, the grid operator said it is committed to invest in the nationwide transmission network to drive future growth.
“For the 13-year period between 2021 and 2033, NGCP has committed to invest approximately P440 billion in capital expenditures across 211 projects. The Group expects that NGCP’s robust project pipeline and the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project [MVIP], which is a landmark project, to continue to expand its regulatory asset base,” it said.
The MVIP is expected to be completed within the first quarter of next year. It was certified as an Energy Project of National Significance in 2018 and was initially targeted for completion by December 2020 but was extended to December 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine restrictions across the country.