TransCo sees completion of transmission line on sked

National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) is confident it would complete the P1.1-billion Sangali-Pitogo 138-kilovolt(kv) transmission line project in Western Mindanao as scheduled.

TransCo president Alan T. Ortiz said the project, which is expected to be completed in end-2007, will boost power reliability and quality in Western Mindanao.

"We are moving on schedule. Delivery of insulator assemblies and accessories is expected at the end of this month while the contracts for supply and delivery of steel towers, optical ground wires, power conductors, and associated hardwares have already been awarded. The turn-key construction of the Pitogo substation is currently under bid evaluation," Ortiz said.

The project, funded under Japan’s Miyazawa Fund, involves the construction of a 32-kilometer, 138-kv double circuit steel tower transmission line from TransCo’s Sangali substation to the new Pitogo substation in Zamboanga City.

The contract for the third project component, consisting of the supply of labor and equipment for the construction of the 32-km transmission line, is up for bidding by the third quarter this year after TransCo completes checking of drawings of various manufacturers.

Ortiz said the awarding of the contract for the project is expected by the fourth quarter of 2006.

The TransCo chief said since the project will be an upgrade of the existing 69-kv line, the company will be using the existing route to avoid affecting new lots and densely-populated areas

"With its much-improved peace and order situation, Mindanao is now an area of rapid growth. We are thus working relentlessly on several transmission line and substation projects under our Mindanao Transmission Augmentation Program to meet Mindanao’s rising power demand particularly its robust fishing, packing, canning, and seafood processing industries," Ortiz said.

Upon completion, the Sangali-Pitogo link will provide reliable bulk power services in Mindanao and address the long-term power requirements of the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone located in San Ramon District. It is projected to serve the city’s power transmission needs over the next 10 to15 years.

The project is part of Zamboanga City’s 138-kv power transmission project which aims to reinforce the existing transmission network and address the projected increases in power demand in Zamboanga City and the entire Western Mindanao area.