400mw power expected after Leyte cable-laying

The cable-laying of the Leyte-Cebu Interconnection Uprating Project which was recently completed is expected to double the capacity of the submarine cable that would transmit geothermal power from Leyte from the present level of 200 mw to 400 mw.

Jules Alcantara, vice president of the National Transmission Corporation for Visayas and Mindanao, said the cable ship Julio Verne completed the cable-laying activities of the LCIUP last May 28.

Alcantara issued the statement to allay fears of a looming power crisis in the Visayas in the wake of rotating brownouts in the Cebu-Negros-Panay grid due to occasional power generation shortages as a result of unscheduled plant maintenance of large generating units in the grid.

The P3-billion LCIUP is a significant breakthrough in the government's effort to find medium-term solutions to the growing power demand in the Visayas region. The CNP grid has a present demand of 720 mw and is projected to increase to 750 mw by December.