Transmission firm National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has completed and energized the 230-kilovolt Toril-Bunawan transmission line, which forms the final loop of the P7.09 billion Mindanao backbone project.

With the project’s completion, the company noted that “this will secure the reliability of power transmission services in the entire Mindanao.”

NGCP explained that the Mindanao backbone “will connect bulk generation from the northern and southern parts of Mindanao and ensure stable and continuous power from Lanao del Norte, passing through Agusan del Sur, all the way to Davao del Sur.”

Apart from the newly energized Toril-Bunawan line, the other components of the Mindanao transmission backbone included the upgrade of the Balo-i-Villanueva-Maramag-Bunawan line to 230kV from 138kV; as well as reinforcements of the Malita, Matanao, Toril, Bunawan, Balo-i, Villanueva and Maramag substations.

According to the company, the generating facilities that will be linked to the transmission line would be the 552-megawatt GNPower Kauswagan coal-fired power facility; the 300MW Therma South power facility; and the 300MW San Miguel Consolidated Power Corporation coal-fired power plant.

For the completed Mindanao transmission backbone, NGCP noted that the energization of the project components “started with the power transformer in Villanueva substations and Maramag-Villanueva 230-kV line 2,” and that was in September 2019. Further, the Balo-i-Villanueva lines 1 and 2 were energized September and October of that same year.

Additionally, the transformers in Bunawan substations and the Maramag-Bunawan lines were energized October of 2019; and followed by the energization of another new transformer in Villanueva substation and the Maramag-Villanueva line 1 around November last year; while the power transformer in Toril substation was also simultaneously energized in that same period.

The company stressed “with this completion, the line will supplement the existing Davao-Toril-Matanao 138-kV transmission line in transforming any and all available and incoming generation, ensuring transmission service reliability for the entire region.”

NGCP said it pushed for the completion of the project “despite the difficulties posed by the varying lockdown protocols implemented across the country.”


And when the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) will finally reach commercial fruition, the Mindanao transmission backbone will serve as a critical support to “accommodate the capacities needed to fully support and utilize the capabilities of the interconnection,” the company said.