National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said Friday the implementation of the Tuy-Dasmarinas 500-kiloVolt (kV) Transmission Line Project hit a major legal roadblock that may hamper the entry of new generation projects totaling over 5,000 megawatts if not immediately resolved.
“The project will enable the entry of big power generation from Batangas. Any delay in the project’s implementation will also impede the entry of additional power supply from new power plants,” NGCP said.
NGCP filed expropriation cases against E. M. Ramos and Sons Inc. and other defendants at the Dasmarinas, Cavite Regional Trial Court who claimed interest over the properties affected by 16 of the 135 towers to be constructed for the project.
NGCP said the project might be delayed over the recall of the writ of possession (WOP) in one of the expropriation cases. It said the expropriation court issued a WOP for three properties covering six tower sites as early as 2020.
The court, however, issued an order recalling the WOP and directing the relocation of one of the towers on Nov. 10, 2023.
NGCP filed a motion for reconsideration, saying that the relocation of public infrastructure for which an expropriation case was filed is beyond the powers of an expropriation court absent a finding of fraud, bad faith or abuse of discretion.
St. Francis Square Realty Corp., another respondent in the expropriation case, also filed a motion for partial reconsideration requesting the relocation of another tower.
NGCP said both issues remain pending resolution by the expropriation court five months after.
“These setbacks encountered will most likely delay the completion of the Tuy-Dasmarinas project and will have an effect on transmission services. We are not only talking about the provinces of Cavite and Batangas, but the entire Luzon grid and the interconnected Visayas and Mindanao grids,” it said.
NGCP’s Calaca substation is the only substation in the western part of Batangas through which over 2,000 megawatts of power from the generating plants in the area are transmitted.
Power is delivered to consumers primarily in South Luzon and Metro Manila through existing transmission facilities.
Batangas emerged as one of the generation hubs for large renewable energy plants such as solar and wind plants.