Transco seeks Palace, DOE say in Batangas project

The National Transmission Corp. (Transco) wants Malacañang and the Department of Energy (DOE) to intervene in the right-of-way issue on its crucial Batangas Transmission Reinforcement Project (BTRP).

Transco president Alan T. Ortiz warned that this issue, if not immediately resolved, will result in a huge power shortage problem in Luzon.

"BTRP is a key to prevent the island of Luzon from experiencing blackouts in the next five to 10 years. Malacanang and the DOE should intervene in our behalf to be able to keep a reliable (transmission) system in the area," Ortiz said.

The STAR has earlier reported on the cease-and-desist order by the City of Batangas on the BTRP project allegedly due to lack of necessary zonal clearances. A legal battle is now ongoing.

Ortiz said Transco and the project contractor are not willing to shoulder the amounts being asked by the claimants. "We are being held hostage by three barangays (74 families) who are asking us to pay P100,000 each family," he said.

The upgrading of the BTRP will not only help avert a possible frequent transmission line trippings in Southern Luzon but will also allow maximum dispatch of the controversial natural gas-fired generating plants of the Lopez group.

The National Power Corp. (Napocor) has signed an agreement with the Lopez-owned First Gas Power Corp. for the dispatch of its Sta. Rita and San Lorenzo power plants.

Ortiz said if the right-of-way issue is threshed out, they could finish the project as scheduled on Dec. 2005.

Based on the CDO, Transco and its contractor Alpha Omega Integrated Corp. (AOIC) were ordered to stop the project due to their failure to get a zoning/location clearance from the Office of the City Planning and Development Coordinator (OCPDC).

AOIC president and general manager Edgardo Herrera said the CDO will specifically affect the construction and erection of about 25 towers in Batangas and San Lorenzo.

Herrera claimed that AOIC already got a notice from Transco to start the project last April. "After we won the bidding in January, we got the notice to proceed from Transco. Then we conducted the necessary survey and applied for a business permit which was granted April this year," he said.

The AOIC official further claimed that aside from Transco’s notice to proceed, the project had obtained an environmental compliance clearance (ECC).

The $76.6 million BTRP, which will expand the transmission line by 80 kilometers, is expected to run from Jan. 2004 to Dec. 2005. Aside from setting up of the transmission lines, the project will also involve putting up of substations within the Batangas area.