Luzon-Visayas grid connection repair completed

MANILA, Philippines — The restoration of the interconnection facility between the Luzon and Visayas grids, which was damaged by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake on July 6, has been been completed.

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said the Ormoc high-voltage direct current converter station was energized on Thursday night. 

“NGCP is pleased to report that…the Visayas grid can now import power from Luzon to augment the grid’s...supply requirements and relieve generation deficiency resulting from the unavailability of earthquake-affected Leyte geothermal plants,” it said.  

The Department of Energy (DOE) had earlier said power outages would continue until the end of the month pending the restoration of the Luzon-Visayas interconnection facility.

Power plants in Tongonan and other NGCP facilities were also damaged by the quake, causing power outages across the Visayas, particularly in Samar, Leyte and Bohol.

The DOE initially gave the NGCP 10 days to restore critical facilities, but extended it until July 31. While the NGCP completed the repairs ahead of time, supply was not enough to meet the demand.

NGCP said it is taking necessary precautions to minimize the impact of natural disasters on NGCP operations and facilities.