Napocor inaugurates new facilities in Catanduanes

MANILA, Philippines — State-owned National Power Corp. (Napocor) on Thursday switched-on the 15-kilometer Virac to San Miguel 69-kv transmission line and the five MVA Codon substation in the province of Catanduanes.

Napocor said it has allotted P240 million for the completion of the projects which is seen to significantly contribute to a more reliable transfer of power from the power plants to households and establishments.

Napocor president and CEO Pio Benavidez emphasized that it is not only the corporation’s goal to complete the backbone transmission system of the island provinces it covers but also to build better and more resilient power facilities.

“We employ high-quality standards for our power facilities knowing that the areas we serve are the most susceptible to typhoons,” said Benavidez, who also hails from Catanduanes.

The province of Catanduanes in 2008 was opened to private sector participation as provided by DOE Circular 2004-01-001. Pending the private sector’s full takeover of the province’s power generation requirements, Napocor maintains its Marinawa, Viga, and Balongbong hydroelectric power plants. These power facilities have a total dependable capacity of 6.650 megawatts (MW).

Its new power provider, Sun West Water and Electric Co., on the other hand, generates a total of 11.290 MW from its hydro and diesel power plants.

Napocor also operates a small power plant in Palumbanes island, located on the northwestern coast of Catanduanes.