NGCP to complete vital Luzon power line by July

MANILA, Philippines — The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has committed to finish the Hermosa-San Jose (HSJ) 500-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line in Luzon by July after the Supreme Court lifted the temporary restraining order (TRO) on the project.

The completion of the project will result in stronger transmission services in Luzon and the accommodation of new bulk power generation from the Bataan area, thus, preventing Luzon-wide power interruptions, according to the NGCP.

The project was supposed to be completed in October 2023 but was delayed after the SC issued a TRO on the expropriation of a portion of land owned by PHirst Phark Homes Inc., a subsidiary of listed Century Properties Group Inc.

The NGCP said the high tribunal issued a resolution dated Feb. 28 that was promulgated last April 8 stating that the TRO issued in July 2023 has been lifted.

“We are happy that the Supreme Court thoroughly studied the case and found no merit in the petitions filed against NGCP,” the power grid operator said in a statement.

“This will enable us to complete the remaining portion of the HSJ which will better serve the bulk generation coming in from Bataan,” it added.

The NGCP has completed line 1 of HSJ on May 19 resulting in a 4,000-megawatt (MW) line capacity, while the second line will be completed by mid-July, according to the NGCP.

The HSJ was energized on May 27, 2023 to accommodate power generation from Bataan with a transfer capacity of 2,000 MW, which was only a quarter of its full 8,000 MW capacity.

Furthermore, NGCP said it remains hopeful that the Energy Regulatory Commission would act “with appropriate haste” on the recoveries it applied for the HSJ project.

The grid operator noted that the ERC only allowed it to recover only P19 million out of the P17.3-billion project cost of HSJ.

The HSJ is certified as an energy project of national significance because of its benefits to the Luzon grid, according to the NGCP.