NGCP says all transmission lines in Visayas fully restored

MANILA, Philippines - The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said that all its transmission and sub-transmission lines in the Visayas that were affected by Typhoon Ruby have been restored and are back to normal.

NGCP said it normalized the system when it energized at 4:01 p.m. on Dec. 22 the Borongan-Quinapondan 69-kV line portion.

The said facility is the last needed to be re-energized to fully bring back its power transmission services to distribution utility Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative (ESAMELCO) and the Leyte-Samar area hit by Typhoon Ruby early this month.

The grid operator said “it is continuously taking necessary preparations and precautions to minimize the impact of succeeding tropical storms and disasters on NGCP operations and facilities.”

At the same time, NGCP assured the public that it is ready to conduct similar disaster management activities to ensure reliable power transmission services.

At least 33 transmission facilities were toppled by the typhoon, which hit on Dec. 6.

According to its profile, NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid. It transmits high-voltage electricity through “power superhighways” that include the interconnected system of transmission lines, towers, substations, and related assets.

The consortium holds the 25-year concession to operate the country’s power transmission network and is comprised of Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp., Calaca High Power Corp., led by Robert Coyiuto Jr., and the State Grid Corp. of China (SGCC) as technical partner.