Transco, Kanematsu to ink deal for Caticlan-Boracay transmission line

The National Transmission Corp. (Transco) is expected to sign next week the contract for the construction of the Caticlan-Boracay transmission line with Japanese power firm Kanematsu, the company’s top official said.

Transco president Alan T. Ortiz said the contract will be part of the Panay-Boracay project, a component part of the Visayas Interconnection System Transmission Augmentation (VISTA) Program.

Ortiz said the company is also ready to issue the notice to proceed for the Cebu-Negros uprating project.

"The (Transco) board by referendum approved the Panay-Boracay project and we will sign the contract for Caticlan-Boracay next week with winning bidder Kanematsu. So that’s only part, we still need Negros-Panay so we’re working on that," he said.

Since the company has completed recently the Leyte-Cebu-Mactan interconnection, it will proceed with the last phase of VISTA which will involve Negros and Panay islands.

"We’re also working for the Northern Panay backbone. We have found funding for the Southern Panay backbone since we are deferring the Binga-San Manuel to 2010. We really have to address the Panay situation through the Negros-Panay submarine uprating, Nabas-Caticlan, Southern Panay backbone in anticipation of new capacity being built anywhere in the Visayas," he said.

"The Binga-San Manuel (project) was deferred as we’re making it part of another bid project-a component of the North Luzon uprating project and since the Southern Panay backbone is also important," he said.

Earlier, Transco launched the Panay-Boracay 130-kilovolt interconnection project aimed at providing reliable electricity to Boracay, the country’s prime tourist destination.

The Panay-Boracay project, estimated to cost between $1.5 million and $2.5 million, is the first phase of the government’s Small Island Submarine Interconnection Development Program (SISID).

SISID will establish an electricity highway at the country’s western corridor. The Stage 1 program will start with a multi-phase transmission project, kicking off with Panay-Boracay, followed by Luzon-Mindoro, Mindoro-Semirara Island-Panay and finally Boracay-Tablas-Romblon transmission links.

The project is designed to increase capacity of the transmission line by an additional 1.6 circuit kilometers of 138-kv submarine cables and will link the Caticlan substation to another substation to be constructed in Boracay.