National Grid gets nod to build P3.6-b Pagbilao substation
by Alena Mae S. Flores – September 20, 2016 at 11:10 pm
from Manila Standard Today
The Energy Regulatory Commission approved the petition of National Grid Corp. of the Philippines to build the P3.6-billion Pagbilao extra high voltage substation to connect new power plants in Quezon province with a total capacity of 2,720 megawatts.
The approval of the project will address the overloading of the Tayabas 500/230 kV transformers and the fault level issue at Tayabas 230 kV Substation.
“By and large, the Pagbilao EHV Substation will be beneficial in terms of ensuring the quality, reliability, and integrity of the Luzon Grid. The approval of the NGCP’s Pagbilao EHV Substation will enable it to adequately serve the needs and demands of generation companies, distribution utilities and suppliers requiring transmission service and ancillary services through the transmission system,” ERC chairman Jose Vicente Salazar said in a statement.
Quezon province hosts two of the major power plants in the Luzon grid—namely the 735-MW Pagbilao and the 460-MW Quezon Power coal-fired power plants.
The two are connected to the Tayabas 2,400 MVA 230/500 substation that is linked to a 500 kV backbone stretch to Dasmariñas substation in Cavite. The Dasmariñas substation serves the south of Metro Manila.
The Tayabas substation is also connected to the San Jose substation in Bulacan that completes the link between the north and south 500 kV corridors. The southern portion of the 500 kV transmission backbone stretches from Tayabas, Quezon to Naga, Camarines Sur.
The Pagbilao EHV Substation project will allow the connection of four additional power generation plants—the 420-MW Pagbilao coal-fired power plant expansion; San Buenaventura Power Ltd. Co.’s 500-MW coal plant; 600-MW Energy World liquefied natural gas power plant; and the 1,200-MW Atimonan coal fired power plant.
National Grid last year sought approval of the Pagbilao EHV substation project to accommodate the additional power generation capacity in Quezon.
“Considering the growing need for power supply in Luzon, additional generation is highly essential. However, the readiness of the grid to accommodate the significantly huge capacity from the incoming power plants is extremely necessary,” the ERC said.
National Grid, operator of the country’s transmission network, said the project would address the overloading of the line due to the entry of the power plants.
“Thus, NGCP proposes the implementation of the proposed Pagbilao EHV substation project to accommodate the entry of new power plants in the Luzon grid,” it said.
National Grid said it would do pre-construction activities to meet the target completion of the proposed project in 2018.
