NGCP gets go-signal for P6.86-B Mindanao transmission backbone

MANILA, Philippines – After clinching regulatory approval, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) will now work on the P6.86-billion Mindanao transmission backbone targeted for 2017 to ensure stable power supply in the island.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said it approved on July 20 NGCP’s application to implement  its Mindanao 230-kilovolt (kV) Transmission Backbone Project.

“The approval of the 230-kV transmission backbone project will ensure sufficiency of supply, the  reliability of power system and the power transfer in the Mindanao grid,” ERC chairman and CEO Jose Vicente Salazar said.

Considered as a critical project in the island, the Mindanao transmission backbone project will enable transmission facilities traversing from the northern to the southern corridors to accommodate the entry of new power plants.

NGCP said there will be an additional 2,400 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity between 2016 and 2018 coming from new power plants across Mindanao, namely FDC Misamis Power Corp., GN Power Coal Plant, Therma South Coal, SMC Davao Coal and Southern Mindanao Power Plant.