Transmission operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said Friday it continues to pursue all its projects and looks forward to the government’s continued support.
NGCP said that while the Transmission Development Plan provides a road map of transmission projects, it prioritizes operationally critical projects that have a real impact on power system dynamics, which may be managed in many ways while projects are being pursued.
It said the goal of NGCP, as the transmission service operator, is to provide stable bulk power delivery services with minimal impact to the consumer.
“The measure for the transmission grid operator’s ability to manage the power system is the ERC’s transmission performance indicators, implementation schedules notwithstanding,” NGCP said.
NGCP said its past performance shows that it has by far successfully managed the transmission grid and only two projects may be considered as having urgent operational impact.
It said these two projects are at varying levels of energization and are expected to be completed within the year.
“There are many causes for delays in project implementation that are beyond NGCP’s control, including procurement of rights of way and protracted permitting procedures, among others,” NGCP said.
“Late issuance of regulatory approvals may also be a reason for implementation schedules outside of those proposed in the TDP,” the company said.
NGCP also said it would file the appropriate response to the regulator’s show cause order directing it to explain why it should not face administrative penalties for the delays, non-completion and failure to commence ERC-approved transmission projects.
The ERC issued a show cause order to NGCP dated June 14, 2023, but issued on July 4, 2023, requiring explanation for delays in the completion of 37 projects in which 26 are still uncompleted and three are yet to commence.
The ERC said that on the average, NGCP’s delays in the 37 projects are at 820 days, ranging from 21 to 2,561 days.
