NGCP completes key components of MVIP
BY LENIE LECTURA – JUNE 30, 2022
from Business Mirror
THE National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said Thursday it has completed key components of the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), paving the way for the completion of the P52-billion interconnection project that will link the Visayas and Mindanao grids.
“NGCP is now significantly closer to unifying the Philippine grid after completing several components of the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), particularly the Santander and Dapitan Cable Terminal Stations, the 350kiloVolt (kV) submarine cable, and the Lala-Aurora 138kV transmission line,” the grid operator said.
NGCP completed the construction of the Cable Terminal Stations (CTS) in Santander, Cebu and Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, as well as installation of two 92-kilometer 350kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) power cables and two 92-km fiber optic cables. Site acceptance tests (SATs) were conducted at the Dapitan and Santander CTS to ensure the said facilities meet NGCP’s requirements.
Work on the submarine cable component commenced in November 2018 and was originally slated to be completed in June 2021. However, restrictions on entry of foreign experts, work suspension, and manpower reduction brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to significant delays in the project’s execution. Damage to submarine cable caused by a third-party vessel also delayed construction activities, with repairs completed only in November last year.
NGCP also successfully energized the Lala-Aurora 138kV Transmission Line last February 19. This MVIP component, on its own, will improve the reliability of power transmission services between Lanao del Norte and provinces in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
“NGCP is happy to report that these critical MVIP components are now complete and ready for energization. We hoped this would finish on time, but factors beyond our control required an adjustment to our project timeline.
We are working double-time to complete the overhead transmission line portions and advance the project to its commissioning stage to connect the Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao grids,” the company said,” it said.
Several other components are still up for completion in October this year. These are Dumanjug Bus-in to Colon-Samboan 138kV Transmission Line in December 2022; Dapitan-Lala 230kV Transmission Line, Kauswagan-Lala 230kV Transmission Line, and Kolambugan-Lala 230kV Transmission Line in August 2022; and the Dumanjug-Santander 350kV Transmission Line, Magdugo-Dumanjug 230kV Transmission Line, and Dumanjug-Alegria 230kV Transmission Line.
“NGCP continues to appeal for the support of the local and national government to push this into fruition. Delays in local government permitting, and right-of-way issues from slow judicial processes and unsupportive landowners continue to delay our efforts.”
Through the MVIP, the Mindanao grid will be linked to the Visayas grid via an HVDC system with a 450-MegaWatt initial capacity.
The MVIP was certified as an Energy Project of National Significance in 2018 and was initially targeted for completion by December 2020 but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine restrictions across the country. The NGCP did not say the new target completion of the MVIP.
The project covers 184 circuit kilometers (ckm) of submarine cables and 526 ckm of overhead wires connecting Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte to Santander, Cebu.
