NGCP hampered by right-of-way issues

MANILA, Philippines - The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), the country’s power transmission operator, has warned that power outages may persist in certain areas in the country due to right-of-way (ROW) problems.

In Mindanao, for instance, the 26.5-kilometer Baloi-Marawi 69-kilovolt line in Lanao del Norte, which transmit electricity to Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative and the Mindanao State University (MSU), frequently trips due to vegetation growing beneath it.

Residents in the area have continuously planted trees along the line, which have caused tripping of power.

In June alone, the transmission line tripped eight times, for a period ranging from 40 minutes to almost five hours, NGCP president and chief executive officer Henry Sy Jr. said.

 “This is because of the ROW violators,” he said.

The grid operator lamented that some landowners deliberately plant along the path of the transmission lines to be able to demand unreasonable amounts from NGCP in exchange for permission to enter their properties for line maintenance.

This results in longer maintenance period, Sy said.

 “ROW violations add to our maintenance cost because we have to clear-up the lines before we maintain or repair it. Our personnel also have to extend working hours to finish these activities,” Sy said.

He appealed to local government units to talk to the landowners and seek their cooperation.

 “Local government units will be a big help to us by talking to these landowners to allow us to enter their properties to maintain our lines. We need their assistance because, not only our operations get affected, but also the local cooperatives and end-consumers,” said Sy.

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

It is a joint venture between State Grid Corp. of China and Sy’s OneTaipan Holdings.

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