Two critical transmission projects—the P52 billion Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project and the P53.9-billion Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnection Project—are set to be completed by June 2023, the Department of Energy said Monday.
Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said during the Makati Business Club’s F2F with Cab Secs Forum that the completion of the projects would help transport stranded power and address transmission constraints.
Lotilla said grid operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines reported that the interconnection between Mindanao and Visayas would be 80-percent complete by March.
“According to NGCP, the interconnection between Mindanao and Visayas will be 80-percent complete by March,” Lotilla said.
The completion of the MVIP is expected to result in a more stable and secure supply of power in the country and will maximize the use of available local energy resources.
MVIP will link the Mindanao grid to the Visayas grid via a high-voltage direct current system with a 450-MW initial capacity.
MVIP will connect the three power grids of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao into one unified national grid by 2020.
It is one of the critical components of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market in Mindanao. WESM started commercial operations in Mindanao on Jan. 26.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the March completion of the MVIP during the formal launch of WESM Mindanao.
“Some of the extra power from the 450 MW that are available through the submarine cable, 80 percent of that can be transported to the Visayas to Cebu [in March], and then by June 30, 2023, that will be fully completed and they have also indicated that as far as the Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnection, that will also be completed by June 30, 2023,” Lotilla said.
Meanwhile, the CNP Interconnection Project establishes a 230kV backbone to accommodate the transmission of excess power from Panay and Negros towards the rest of Visayas.
Lotilla said that once the said projects are realized, “we can have the stranded power from Negros also transported to Cebu and we can also have part of that go to Luzon.”
He said transmission connection from Negros to Cebu from Mindanao to Visayas would help address any potential decrease in power availability.
NGCP operates the country’s transmission network through its concession agreement with the government.
“With a unified national grid, power transmission services in the country will be more reliable as there will be less power interruptions nationwide due to the sharing of local energy resources. Reliable electricity transmission, in turn, could help boost investments, infrastructure development and commerce in the country,” the company said earlier.
NGCP is a Filipino-led, privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining and developing the country’s electricity transmission grid, led by majority shareholders and vice chairman of the board Henry Sy, Jr. and co-vice chairman Robert Coyiuto, Jr.
It is the sole operating asset of listed Synergy Grid and Development Philippines Inc.