NGCP pouring in P6 B on 3 projects

MANILA, Philippines - The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), the operator of the country’s power transmission highway, is pouring in P6 billion on three projects aimed at improving the reliability of the power grid.

In a decision, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved the three transmission projects – the Antipolo EHV substation project, Calaca-Dasmariñas 230-kilovolt transmission line project and the Opol substation project in Misamis Oriental.

NGCP said the substation in Antipolo City would help prevent potential system congestion and relieve the San Jose substation in Bulacan, which carries the bulk of Metro Manila’s load.

NGCP is aiming to complete the Antipolo substation in 2016.

The San Jose substation in Bulacan serves as the merging point of generation supply coming from the 600-megawatt Masinloc and 1,218-MW Sual coal-fired power plants from the north and the 460-MW Quezon Power coal-fired power plant and 735-MW Pagbilao coal plant in the south.

The other project, the P3-billion Calaca- Dasmariñas 230-kv transmission line project received the ERC’s nod but with modification.

Specifically, the ERC approved the Calaca-Dasmarinas transmission project in Batangas but disallowed the construction of four compact air-insulated switchgear to be installed at the Dasmariñas and Sta. Rita substations.

The P3-billion project is envisioned to accommodate additional power capacities expected to come in from 2014 to 2017 from three power plants – Puting Bato plant, Batangas coal plant and San Gabriel plant.

“NGCP is hereby directed to submit a progress report with an indication of any variance in the implementation of the project and time schedule and conduct a competitive bidding for the purchase of the major materials in the implementation of the proposed project,” the ERC said in its decision.

ERC also approved NGCP’s P600-million Opol substation project, which is seen to ease potential load congestion in Misamis Oriental as the local economy grows.

The Opol substation project is targeted for completion in 2015.

NGCP is a privately-owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining and developing the country’s power transmission network.

The company won through public bidding a 25-year concession to run the country’s transmission assets after it took over the management of the entire transmission network in 2008 from the state-owned National Transmission Co.