NGCP readies Luzon control center

MANILA, Philippines - Power transmissions provider National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is readying the operations of its new, P125-million control center in Luzon late this month.

This will ensure proper control of grid operations when the main control center becomes vulnerable, the company said in a statement.

NGCP said it is completing the Luzon Regional Control Center (LRCC) located at its Mexico substation in Pampanga.

“The LRCC will be the dispatching and control arena of power supply and demand for the whole Luzon,” the firm said.

It will also house NGCP’s system operations equipment including a new projector system, telecommunications, and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and energy management system (EMS).

SCADA is a collection of equipment and software that facilitates control of remote devices, acquisition of real-time data on power demand and the capacity of connected power plants

“The LRCC provides us the security that we need if ever our main control center becomes vulnerable,” said NGCP spokesperson Cynthia P. Alabanza.

She added that the contingency systems will allow the company to sustain the transmission service 24/7.

The LRCC features the new Open 3000 technology, an advanced software application in monitoring the grid’s operation.

Early this year, NGCP upgraded the National Control Center in Diliman, Quezon City, the Visayas Regional Control Center in Cebu and the Mindanao Regional Control Center in Cagayan De Oro City.

“Reliability of transmission services will likewise be improved because the grids of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will now operate on one platform, thereby ensuring consistency and compatibility in operations,” NGCP said.

The Open 3000 software integrates different sub-systems like the SCADA and EMS. It allows the platform-sharing for common services like system administration, data access and reporting tools.

NGCP, a private firm in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid and electricity superhighways, recovers its investments through fixed rates added to consumers’ electricity bills.