San Jose-Angat transmission line upgrade completed

By Myrna M. Velasco – August 26, 2022, 3:20 PM
from Manila Bulletin

Transmission firm National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has reported the upgrade completion of its 115-kilovolt San Jose-Angat transmission line, a P307 million project that is expected to reinforce the reliability of power supply in the Luzon grid.

According to the company, the old San Jose-Angat lines 1 and 2 had been built way back in 1967; hence, these facilities have already turned decrepit and upgrade was already warranted to extend their operating life.

The facility, NPGP said, was originally intended “to connect the Angat hydroelectric power plant to the Luzon grid, while another circuit -which was composed of wooden poles – was built in 1960.”

The transmission company explained that “the upgrading of this line is critical to the overall reliability of transmission services for Luzon, since the aged line will not be able to handle the full capacity dispatch of the 246MW power plant.”

NGCP similarly indicated that a new third circuit, which is around 18 kilometer-stretch, had been successfully upgraded on May 20 this year; while a fourth circuit of the same length had been completed earlier.

“The 300MVA (megavolt ampere) capacity per circuit of the upgraded line will now provide N-1 contingency, which is the ability of the grid to withstand a major system disturbance with minimal or no impact to the system,” the transmission firm noted.

Achieving N-1 contingency had been one of the continuing efforts being advanced by NGCP relative to the operation of the country’s power transmission network, so the consumers will not be distressed with unwarranted service interruptions.

In tandem with the newly-reinforced San Jose-Angat line, NGCP expounded that “the associated 115kV substation was also upgraded with new power circuit breakers to accommodate the capacity of the two new lines connected to the substation.”

The transmission firm asserted that “the completion of this project affirms our continuing commitment to upgrade the transmission network of the country.”

Apart from improving the overall condition of the transmission facilities of the country’s power system, NGCP’s more work is also warranted, primarily in the country’s energy transition agenda — and the key role it will play delves with ramping up the buildup of transmission lines, substations and associated facilities to support the massive scale integration of renewable energy into power grids.