NGCP charges ahead with network expansion

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), the grid operator, is pushing forward with its various projects to expand its transmission network, setting aside for later the issue of regulatory approval for cost recovery.

- BRIX LELIS

Amid the growing energy demand, the NGCP said yesterday that it is fully prepared to handle additional generation capacity through its ongoing and recently energized transmission projects.

It is currently working on the Tuy-Dasmariñas 500 kilovolt (kV) transmission line project, which will provide a transmission capacity of 2,400 megawatts (MW) at its initial 230 kV energization stage.

Other ongoing projects are the Cebu-Bohol Interconnection, expected to power Bohol with a 1,200-MW total interconnection capacity to Cebu Island, where the P52-billion MindanaoVisayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) is connected.

Fully energized in January, the MVIP enables power sharing between Visayas and Mindanao of up to 450 MW of power, expandable to another 450 MW capacity, through installed transmission lines and submarine cables.