NGCP starts Benguet trasmission line rehab

MANILA, Philippines - The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has started the P404-million rehabilitation of a transmission line in Benguet province.

More system upgrades are in the pipeline to ensure efficient transmission of electricity in the area, the company said.

NGCP said it is pursuing the rehabilitation of the Binga substation “to accommodate the restored capacity of Ambuklao and Binga hydroelectric power plants of SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) and other future generation projects in the Cordillera region.”

The rehabilitation program is the first of several stages of the 11-kilometer Ambuklao-Binga-San Manuel 230-kilovolt (kv) transmission project.

The entire project includes the replacement of older circuit breakers and associated equipment, and the installation, testing and commissioning of a new 50-megavolt ampere power transformer.

New control buildings, lineman’s quarters and access roads will also be built, the NGCP said.

The rehabilitation of the substation is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2013.

The Ambuklao-Binga-San Manuel 230-kv transmission line, which is on its pre-construction stage, will be upgrading existing facilities.

The installation of transmission lines falls under the power generation-associated projects, which will support the transmission of electricity from new power generation projects, said NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Perez-Alabanza.

To date, SNAP has restarted operations of its 105-megawatt (MW) Ambuklao hydropower plant that previously ran at 75 MW.

Furthermore, the Binga hydropower plant expansion will provide 25 MW in additional capacity in 2014.

“The existing line, as well as the breakers at Binga substation, which were constructed and installed in 1956 have already surpassed its economic life,” NGCP said in the 2011-2021 Transmission Development Plan.

The NGCP allotted roughly P100 billion in capital spending for the creation of new transmission lines and substations, and the expansion of existing facilities nationwide in the next 10 years.

The Transmission Development Plan targets improving power transmission nationwide through the installation of new system reinforcements, development of alternative transmission corridors, prevention of heavy loading and upgrade of existing facilities for the NGCP to be the strongest power grid in Southeast Asia.

The NGCP operates, maintains and develops the country’s power grid owned by National Transmission Corp. It transmits high-voltage electricity through power superhighways that include transmission lines, towers and substations.