The Supreme Court lifted the temporary restraining order on a portion of National Grid Corp. of the Philippines’ Hermosa-San Jose 500-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line (HSJ) in Central Luzon, paving the way for its full completion by mid July.
NGCP said in a statement Tuesday this enabled the company to push through with the last stages of stringing to complete the project critical to securing transmission services in Luzon after nine months of delay due to the TRO.
The High Court issued a resolution dated Feb. 28, 2024 and promulgated on April 8, 2024, stating that the TRO released in July 2023 was lifted.
“We are happy that the Supreme Court thoroughly studied the case and found no merit in the petitions filed against NGCP. This will enable us to complete the remaining portion of the HSJ which will better serve the bulk generation coming in from Bataan,” said NGCP.
A TRO was issued against the expropriation of and construction in a portion of the HSJ owned by Phirst Park Homes Inc. (PPHI) on July 6, 2023.
NGCP immediately stopped the project-related activities along Towers 170-178 of the said line, stalling the stringing of the line’s remaining circuit.
The case filed by PPHI and the subsequent court prohibition affected the remaining works for its full completion, halting construction works from July 2023 to April 2024.
The HSJ line was energized on May 27, 2023 to accommodate power generation from Bataan with a transfer capacity of 2,000 MW, only a quarter of the full 8,000-MW capacity of lines 1 and 2 pending the completion of the unfinished portion of the line.
NGCP said that with the lifting of the TRO, NGCP began stringing activities for the affected section of the line and completed line 1 on May 19, 2024, enabling 4,000-MW line capacity. Line 2 is expected to be finished in mid-July.
NGCP said the issue with Phirst Park had dragged the full completion of the project, with parallel negotiations with PPHI ongoing and the transmission operator seeking the assistance of the Department of Interior and Local Government and the local government of Pandi, Bulacan to proceed with construction activities, which it alleged that PPHI continually tried to block despite the valid permits and writs of possession under NGCP’s favor.
The HSJ, with a project cost of P17.3 billion, is certified as an energy project of national significance (EPNS) and its full completion and energization at full capacity are critical in accommodating additional power generation to the grid to prevent Luzon-wide power interruptions.
