NGCP seeks provisional authority to start CCIP

BY LENIE LECTURA – JUNE 20, 2022
from Business Mirror

BusinessMirror file photo

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is seeking provisional authority to implement its Camarines Sur-Catanduanes Interconnection Project (CCIP) so that consumers would have access to a more reliable and competitive generation power source in the Luzon grid.

In its application filed with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), the grid operator said Catanduanes’ peak demand reached 15megawatts (MW) in 2020 while the total contracted supply in the same year was only at 10.18MW.  As such, existing power plants in Catanduanes Island cannot accommodate and keep up with the growing demand of electricity, NGCP said.

“To address this, the implementation of a long-term solution for a reliable and competitive power supply must commence as early as possible. Considering NGCP needs 48 months to fully complete the CCIP, the implementation must commence immediately. Thus, the prayer for the issuance of provisional authority,” NGCP said.

The proposed CCIP involves laying down of submarine cables and the installation of overhead transmission lines. The interconnection, said NGCP, will support the load growth and power demand by the Catanduanes Island thereby pushing the socio-economic development through the government’s economic plans and programs for the island in the near and long term.

Catanduanes is the 12th largest island in the country. Its economy is driven by agriculture, fishing, and tourism. Electricity demand is expected to grow within the next few years considering the development plans and programs of the government aimed to attract investors and which fosters economic progress in the province.

Catanduanes Island is being served by the First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative Inc.