NGCP reports completion of 4 major grid projects in 2024

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CEBU CITY, Philippines – The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reported having achieved several milestones in 2024, including the completion of four major projects that significantly bolstered the reliability of the country’s grid infrastructure.

In January 2024, it inaugurated the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), followed by the Cebu-Negros-Panay 230-kiloVolt (kV) backbone in April, and the Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose 500kV Line in July.

NGCP also completed in September, the Cebu-Bohol Interconnection Project (CBIP) that plays a crucial role in improving transmission services and grid stability in Central Visayas as it helps develop the transmission highway in Cebu, the load center of the Visayas, through a new line that will transmit power in and out of the province.

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“These achievements reflect NGCP’s strong commitment to advancing our grid infrastructure to ensure a more stable and resilient power supply for households, businesses, and industries,” NGCP said in a statement.

In addition to its big-ticket projects, NGCP also provided better service at a lower cost, charging only P0.55 centavos per KWH, compared to P0.74 under TransCo. This is equivalent to just 3.39 percent of the electricity bill, while generation and distribution charges make up its bulk with 53.17 percent and 21.81 percent, respectively.

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Since 2019, when it took over the transmission operations from TransCo, outages went down by 82 percent, reflecting the significant improvement in the efficiency and reliability of the country’s grid under its watch.

More Projects

In the coming years, NGCP intends to complete more big-ticket projects, including the New Antipolo 230kV Substation in Rizal, the Laguindingan 230kV Substation in Misamis Oriental, and substation upgrading, voltage improvement, and reliability projects in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

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Other projects that are scheduled for completion include the Tuguegarao–Lal-lo (Magapit) 230kV Transmission Line, AmbuklaoBinga-San Manuel 230kV Line, Western Luzon 500kV Backbone Stage 2, Marilao Extra High Voltage Substation, Tuy 500/230 kV Project Stage 1, Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay 138kV Line, Cebu-Lapu-Lapu 230kV Transmission Line, Lapu-Lapu City 230kV Substation Project, Tacurong-Kalamansig 69 kV Transmission Line Project, and other upgrading projects.

NGCP has expressed confidence that these projects will be completed on schedule, “barring any further right-of-way, permitting, and other external delays.”

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“Despite challenges being encountered in right-of-way acquisition and permitting, with the support of relevant government agencies, we are optimistic that we are on track to finish these projects in the pipeline,” said NGCP.

APPEAL

Meanwhile, the transmission grid operator has renewed its appeal for the swift resolution and approval of applications filed with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), relating to the company’s operations.

NGCP, a highly regulated entity, needs the ERC’s approval before it could implement projects and recover the costs spent in building these transmission facilities.

“We remain hopeful that the ERC will support our efforts by ensuring a timely and fair recovery for our capital expenditure. This recovery is vital to sustaining our investment in enhancing the reliability and capacity of our energy infrastructure,” NGCP said.