NGCP targets Eastern Visayas transmission line this year

MANILA, Philippines – The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is targeting to complete a crucial transmission facility in Eastern Visayas within the year to ensure delivery of power supply as the region continues to recover from a series of natural disasters.

NGCP said it would build the second line of the Ormoc-Babatngon 138-kilovolt (kV) line in Leyte, which involves the construction of an overhead transmission line spanning almost 80 kilometers, and installation of necessary upgrade equipment at the Ormoc and Babatngon substations.

The line is critical in transmitting power supply from the geothermal plants in Leyte to Samar Island.

The grid operator said the line reinforcement would also increase the reliability of power transmission to Samar, which has no internal generation facility within the island, and is heavily dependent on supply coming from Leyte.

“For the often typhoon-stricken Samar, a steady supply of electricity is important to ensure the island’s continuous growth and recovery from disasters. This is what we are trying to address by constructing the Ormoc-Babatngon 138-kV line,” NGCP said.

The transmission line will also aid in the development of Tacloban, which was heavily-hit by Typhoon Yolanda in late 2013.