‘No single switch can shut down entire Phiippines power’

MANILA, Philippines — Unlike in residential homes, there is no main circuit breaker that can turn off the power across the entire country, spanning the archipelago from Luzon, the Visayas, to Mindanao, an official of the privately run National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said yesterday.

“There is no such thing as a single off button, where we can decide to cut off power for the entire country. There is no central control point that is composed of only a single button,” NGCP assistant vice president for system operations Clark Agustin said.

The NGCP official clarified that the power grid company adheres to the internal procedures outlined under the Philippine Grid Code, assuring lawmakers, who are investigating the firm’s alleged franchise violations, that the NGCP has always been compliant with the country’s laws.

“There have been no midnight deals that happened here. NGCP has always been very transparent with all its transactions with the government,” Agustin stressed.

Agustin revealed that there are control centers in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, making it difficult to shut down the entire power supply at whim all the way to the Mindanao region.

Agustin also allayed public concerns about the China-made equipment used by NGCP in its operations, saying that China is a technical partner authorized to operate by the national government.

Although the chairmanship is held by a foreigner, NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said the decision ultimately lies with the majority vote of the 10-member NGCP board of directors.

The NGCP, a privately owned corporation responsible for the operation, maintenance and development of the national grid, is 60 percent owned by companies of Filipino businessmen Henry Sy Jr. and Robert Coyiuto Jr.

The remaining 40-percent stake is held by State Grid Corp. of China, which serves as a technical partner for the NGCP consortium.

The NGCP board is chaired by Zhu Guangchao, with Sy and Coyiuto acting as co-vice chairmen. Its members include Jose Pardo, Francis Chua, Yao Yousheng, Wang Lijin, Anthony Almeda, Liu Xinhua and Paul Sagayo Jr. The Chinese directors were elected based on State Grid’s proportionate shareholding in the NGCP.

The NGCP consortium holds the 25-year concession contract and the 50-year franchise to operate the power transmission network.