NGCP to establish Visayas-

Mindanao interconnection

By Mary May A. Abellon

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) revealed that it is planning to build Visayas-Mindanao Interconnection Project passing Negros Oriental in the Visayas to Zamboanga del Norte in Mindanao.

This was disclosed by the NGCP in its recently concluded “Power 102” attended by local media practitioners in Dipolog City.

Pursuant to NGCP’s 2013 Transmission Development Plan, the company is going to establish a unified Philippine Grid by 2018, a 10-year program for expansion reinforcement and rehabilitation of the transmission system.

“There’s an overwhelming energy generation in Mindanao and in coming years Mindanao will be going to supply power to Luzon and Visayas,” Fernando S. Javier, head of the Mindanao Transmission Planning Division disclosed.

“The western route is the export corridor of Mindanao,” Javier added.

Meanwhile, he said, this project has to undergo first a feasibility study to determine whether “the covered area is viable for the transmission of electricity from one island to another especially when their cables will pass through the ocean floors.”

The main project drivers of NGCP are the load growth, generator entry, congestion-alleviation, system reliability, power quality and island interconnection.

Based on Department of Energy’s list of Private Sector Initiated Power Projects, the total conventional and re-based plants proposed in Mindanao for 2014-2020 is 4,443 MW. (pia) (080514)