MANILA, Philippines — The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said the P52-billion Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) would face longer delay due to submarine cable damage.
Because of the damage of several portions of its fiber optic cable connection, the MVIP may extend beyond its adjusted December 2021 target completion, the grid operator said.
The submarine cable No.1 portion of the MVIP’s Dapitan-Santander 350-kilovolt (kV) high voltage direct current (HVDC) line between Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte and Santander, Cebu was found to have been damaged in several locations. The line was completed only on Nov. 15, 2020.
Based on initial reports, a vessel was seen navigating the area where the first cable was laid a month after the completion of the cable laying activity. The damage was discovered while the second cable was being laid.
NGCP said an investigation is underway to determine whether this vessel caused the damage and who may be responsible for the vessel.
“This is an unfortunate circumstance which may delay the MVIP timeline. NGCP is working on a catch-up plan given the fragility of handling fiber optic submarine cables,” it said.
The repair of the severed portions will require another round of procurement, awarding, scheduling of cable laying, all of which are also affected by prevailing quarantine restrictions in terms of cable shipping and availability of foreign experts. The actual cable laying is also subject to weather and tide conditions.
The MVIP, certified as an energy project of national significance in 2018, was initially targeted for completion by December 2020 but was extended to December 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine restrictions across the country.
The project covers 184 circuit kilometers (ckm) of submarine cables and 526 ckm of overhead wires connecting Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte to Santander, Cebu.
Once completed, the MVIP will connect the Visayas and Mindanao grids through a HVDC system with a 450-megawatt (MW) initial capacity.
NGCP is a Filipino-led, privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s electricity transmission grid, led by majority shareholders vice chairman Henry Sy Jr. and co-vice chairman Robert Coyiuto Jr.