PRIVATELY OWNED National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has energized its P316-million Hermosa-Floridablanca 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line to bring more reliable services to customers in Pampanga.
The project is among the list of projects that the Department of Energy (DoE) certified as being of national significance in January. It was energized on Feb. 28 and will ease the load of the existing and aging Hermosa-Guagua 69kV line, the company said.
“Due to the load growth in the area, the 53-year-old existing line cannot accommodate the heavy loading conditions and would have caused problems in the long run,” NGCP said in a statement. “A new line was required to ensure the reliability of power transmission services.”
NGCP said the project complies with the “N-1 component” set by the Philippine Grid Code, referring to the ability of the grid to withstand a major disturbance with minimal disruption to the system.
It said with the new line in place, the grid operator will also be able improve services to the franchise area of the Pampanga II Electric Cooperative.
It added that apart from the Hermosa-Floridablanca transmission line, the company is working on reliability projects such as the western Luzon 500-kV backbone project.
NGCP said it will also install a new transmission corridor, the Bataan 230-kV reinforcement project, which will serve power customers in Bataan and nearby provinces and accommodate incoming generating capacity. It will also put up the Nagsaag-Tumana 69-kV transmission line project, which will serve customers in Pangasinan.
“We continue to appeal for support from our stakeholders in the smooth implementation of our projects, which will ultimately benefit all power consumers not only in Luzon, but in the entire country,” NGCP said.
A certificate that an energy project is of national significance, known as a CEPNS, entitles project proponents to all the rights and privileges provided for under Executive Order 30 series of 2017, including action on the application within 30 working days.
Certified projects also enjoy presumption of prior approval — they are presumed to have already complied with the requirements and permits from other government permitting agencies.
It will be deemed approved if no action is taken five days after the lapse of the 30 working-day period for processing of the application. — Victor V. Saulon
