DOE lists substations suitable to take in new power plant capacity
By Victor V. Saulon – 29 April 2018
From Business World
THE Department of Energy (DoE) has listed 14 areas with newly built substations to guide would-be power plant developers hoping to connect to the transmission system.
“These recommended connection points, however, should be viewed from a transmission planning perspective and are based on the capability of the existing grid,” the DoE said in its invitation to investors on the available opportunities in the Philippine energy sector.
The department identified the “ideal locations” as three areas in Luzon, six in Visayas and five in Mindanao where power plants may be constructed.
In Luzon, it recommended the construction of a total 900 MW for three plants with a capacity of 300 MW each. They may connect at the Malaya 230-kilovolt (kV) substation, the San Manuel 230 kV and Muntinlupa 115 kV substations.
In the Visayas, the DoE identified the new substations as Calbayog 138/69 kV, Daanbantayan 230 kV, Babatngon 138 kV, Compostela 138 kV, Maasin 138 kV and Bohol 138 kV. It recommended 100 MW power plants in each of the sites.
In Mindanao, the substations are Placer, Aurora, Bislig, Pitogo and Tacurog — all at 138 kV. It also recommended 100-MW power plants to connect to the substations.
“There is a substantial number of publicly announced infrastructure projects to complement the already comprehensive transmission network in the Philippines, providing a broad range of investment and partnership opportunities,” the DoE told investors.
It said state-led National Transmission Corp. is pushing for massive capital spending on at least six transmission line interconnection projects worth $2 billion. The lineup of projects include the $1-billion Visayas-Mindanao interconnection project and five other transmission line loops, the DoE added.
It identified the loops as Antique-Mindoro, Bohol-Cebu, Panay-Negros, Davao-Samal Island, and Antique-Romblon.
The DoE also cited a $27-million deal between privately owned National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) and smart grid solutions firm ABB Ltd. to strengthen the country’s grid infrastructure. It said 18 smart grid transformers will be provided to NGCP, “improving its energy distribution and the reliability of its grid network.”
The department also cited an announcement by distribution utility Manila Electric Co. about the implementation of an automated metering infrastructure project to equip 3.3 million of its customers with smart meters by 2024.
“Moreover, General Electric Co. (GE) will be constructing a new 500-kV transmission line and substation in Bataan. It is due to be completed by 2018 and will serve as the additional outgoing circuit from Hermosa to San Jose,” it said.
“This will allow simultaneous maximum dispatch of existing power plants,” the DoE added.
