By Lenie Lectura – June 19, 2018
from Business Mirror
THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said on Tuesday its grid operations and maintenance plan helped thwart power-outage incidents during summer months even when actual peak demand exceeded forecast.
“Thanks to the implementation of NGCP’s comprehensive grid enhancement program, NGCP’s transmission lines and facilities sustained its reliability, reporting no major transmission-related issues for the duration of the summer period. Despite the load for the Luzon grid steadily increasing year-on-year, NGCP has always been one step ahead of the trend,” the company stated.
At 1:53 p.m. of May 28, 2018, the highest peak load demand of 10,876 megawatts was recorded for the Luzon grid, breaching this year’s peak demand forecast of 10,561 MW set by the Department of Energy’s Power Development Plan.
Anticipating the yearly increase in demand especially in the country’s capital load center, NGCP already made preparations to ensure a continuous supply of power.
“Our grid operations and maintenance plan, along with our blackout drill and generator’s conference, are important tools in our preparedness for the peak load months not only for Luzon, but also for the Visayas and Mindanao during the year’s end,” the company added.
The NGCP also attributed the successful management of power transmission services to its timely implementation of transmission projects and major improvements in the Luzon grid, which includes the Santiago-Tuguegarao 230-kiloVolt transmission line, the relocation of towers of the San Esteban-Laoag 230-kV line, the Eastern Albay 69-kV line and various substation upgrading projects. NGCP’s critical projects, such as the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project, the Cebu-Negros-Panay Interconnection Project, and various 500-kV transmission line projects in Luzon are key factors in the improvement of the country’s transmission highway.
“Every year, we see an aggressive rise in load growth, which means our country is developing on such a fast pace. The continuous support of energy stakeholders, local government units, and the public is the most crucial aspect of the planning and execution of all our activities. With combined efforts, we will be able to fulfill our mandate and ultimately bridge power and the progress of the nation,” the NGCP said.
The NGCP is a Filipino-led, privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining and developing the country’s power grid, led by majority shareholders Henry Sy Jr. and Robert Coyiuto Jr.