By Myrna M. Velasco – August 22, 2022, 3:52 PM
from Manila Bulletin
Transmission firm National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has entered into P20.02-billion worth of new contracts for the construction of transmission projects in the first semester of this year, according to a report submitted by its holding company Synergy Grid & Development Phils. Inc to the Philippine Stock Exchange.
The new contracts cover the various transmission facilities being implemented by the company, so it can reinforce, upgrade and expand the power transmission backbone of the country.
It was further indicated that the new batch of construction projects was been part of the P37.6-billion worth of capital expenditures (capex) that the company approved in March this year.
The newly-sealed contracts included: the erection and construction for the permanent restoration of the C.P. Garcia-Ubay 138-kilovolt transmission line special towers and the other facilities that had been affected by the strike of typhoon Odette last year; as well as the transmission lines affected by the North-South Commuter Railway Extension project that is being implemented by the Department of Transportation.
Other projects include the Zamboanga Peninsula voltage improvement project-schedule 1; the 69kV Mexico substation expansion project which is a component of the 230kV San Simon substation as well as the North substation upgrading venture – including the portion covering Laoag, Bauang, San Esteban and Bacnotan; and then the Pinili substation venture.
NGCP will likewise pursue substation upgrade projects in the Visayas grid; as well as the expansion of the Visayas regional control center in Cebu.
The other blueprinted projects in the Visayas are the 230kV Cebu-Negros-Panay backbone project-stage 3, phase 1; and the Visayas voltage improvement project 2, schedule-1, delving with the Baybay Les, Sipalay Les, the 69kV San Jose substation then the Naga-Visayas and Calbayog substations.
In the southernmost power grid, the key projects that NGCP will be advancing to construction and eventual completion will be the Mindanao substation expansion 4 project -schedule IV; and these shall cover design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of high voltage equipment, including secondary devices and the Nasipit substation bus-in project.
The upgrade and expansion of the facilities of NGCP will be very crucial in improving the reliability of power supply services in the country – and that comes along with the need to accommodate the system’s load buildup, which in turn could underpin the country’s economic growth.
The reinforcement of power transmission infrastructure will also be a significant stimulus to the government’s plan of scaling up the integration of more renewable energy (RE) capacities into the power system as part of the energy transition agenda of the country.