TransCo inaugurates Panay-Boracay transmission line

State-run National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) will inaugurate today the new submarine cable linking the country’s premier tourist destination of Boracay to mainland Panay.

TransCo president Alan T. Ortiz said the transmission firm has completed the cable laying activities last month.

He said the 1.6-kilometer submarine cable, rated at 69 kilovolts, is a key component of the P149-million Panay-Boracay interconnection project, a joint undertaking of TransCo and the Aklan Electric Cooperative (Akelco) to boost power reliability and transmission security in Boracay.

The TransCo chief said with the energization of the line, TransCo is also helping preserve Boracay’s environment.

"Clean power will be transmitted to the island which currently uses more than 166 diesel generating sets to augment its power requirements especially during peak seasons. These generators can already be disposed of with the new line in place," he said.

"Because of the cleaner, more reliable and secured power delivery services to Boracay in the next 10-15 years, we are making this island paradise even more attractive to tourists," Ortiz added.

Aside from submarine cable laying works, TransCo has also completed the construction of cable terminal stations (CTS) in Caticlan for mainland Panay and in Manoc-Manoc for Boracay.

As provided in a memorandum of agreement signed with Akelco, Transco will supply transmission line materials, 30-megavolt ampere (MVA) power transformer, and electrical equipment for the two substations connected to the CTS.

Akelco, for its part will erect, install, and energize a one-kilometer overhead distribution line connecting its Caticlan substation to TransCo’s Caticlan CTS. Akelco, will also build another substation in Boracay adjacent to TransCo’s Boracay CTS.

The Panay-Boracay interconnection project is the first phase of TransCo’s Small Island Submarine Interconnection Development (SISID) program which aims to establish a two-way electricity highway at the nation’s western corridor and eventually complete the Luzon-Visayas transmission loop.

The multi-phase transmission program will start with the Panay-Boracay, then the Luzon-Mindoro. This will be followed by the Mindoro-Semirara Island-Panay and finally, the Boracay-Tablas-Romblon transmission links.