Aboitiz unit seeks ERC approval for P895 million transmission facility

MANILA, Philippines — A subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp. is seeking regulatory approval to build and operate a transmission facility worth P895.6 million that will connect its floating solar project in Zambales into the Luzon grid.

Northern Sun Radiance Inc. (NSRI) has asked the Energy Regulatory Commission to allow the construction of dedicated point-to-point limited interconnection facilities for its San Marcelino floating solar power project.

The transmission project will facilitate the integration of the 120.3-megawatt (MW) solar farm into the 230-kiloVolt Castillejos Substation owned and operated by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).

“NSRI studied its options and found that such direct connection is the sole viable option to connect the San Marcelino FSPP to the Luzon grid due to its proximity and economic feasibility,” the company said.

The proposed interconnection facility involves the development of a substation and transmission lines, along with their associated accessories.

The estimated investment for this project, however, would still vary depending on the final cost from the engineering, procurement and construction contractor, NSRI noted.

Currently, the NGCP and NSRI are in the process of finalizing the terms of their agreement for the integration of the solar farm into the grid through the dedicated transmission facility.

“NSRI needs to immediately test, commission and dispatch the San Marcelino FSPP upon its completion to avoid unnecessary delays that can lead to opportunity costs and contribute to the rising demand growth,” it said.

“Thus, it is necessary for NSRI’s San Marcelino FSPP to be connected to the grid, through the dedicated facility project, at the earliest possible opportunity,” the firm added.

As such, NSRI requested the energy regulator to issue an order granting provisional authority or interim relief for the implementation of the transmission project, with a prayer for confidential treatment of information.

NSRI is a fully owned unit of AboitizPower, whose existing portfolio includes over 1,000 MW of disclosed projects from various indigenous energy sources.

As the energy arm of the Aboitiz Group, AboitizPower wants to scale up its renewable energy capacity to 4,600 MW by 2030.