NGCP energizes P7.09-billion Mindanao backbone project
DAVAO CITY --The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) recently energized the Toril-Bunawan 230kV transmission line, the final component of its P7.09-billion Mindanao 230 kiloVolt (kV) backbone project.
In a statement released by NGCP Mindanao Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Officer Michael Ligalig on Friday, the energization of the line will secure the reliability of power transmission services in the entire Mindanao.
The statement said, as one of NGCP's critical projects, 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 Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon, all the way to Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental.
It said among the generating facilities which will connect to the line are the GNPower Kauswagan Clean Coal-Fired Power Plant, Therma South Incorporated Power Plant, and San Miguel Consolidated Power Corporation, with a total combined capacity of 1,440 Mega Watts (MW).
The NGCP said that, with the approved cost of P7.09 billion from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), the project involved the construction of the Matanao-Toril 230kV and Toril-Bunawan 230kV transmission lines, the upgrade of the Balo-i-Villanueva-Maramag-Bunawan line from 138kV to 230kV, as well as the upgrade of its substations in Malita, Matanao, Toril, Bunawan, Balo-i, Villanueva, and Maramag.
The statement said the energization of the project components started with the power transformer in Villanueva Substation and Maramag-Villanueva 230kV Line 2 in September 2019, while the Balo-i-Villanueva Lines 1 and 2 were energized in September and October of the same year. Transformers in Bunawan Substation and the Maramag-Bunawan 230kV lines were energized also in October 2019. This was followed by the energization of another new transformer in Villanueva Substation and the Maramag-Villanueva Line 1 in November 2019, while a power transformer in Toril Substation was energized shortly after in the same month.
It said the Matanao-Toril 230kV Lines 1 and 2 were energized in December 2019 and January 2020, respectively, while the Matanao-Culaman 230kV Lines 1 and 2 were energized in the same period. The final component, the Toril-Bunawan 230kV Lines 1 and 2, were energized in November 2020, despite the difficulties posed by the varying lockdown protocols implemented across the country.
“With this completion, the line will supplement the existing Davao-Toril-Matanao 138kV transmission line in transmitting any and all available and incoming generation, ensuring transmission service reliability for the entire region,” the statement said.
Apart from this, the Mindanao 230kV Backbone project is an integral part of NGCP’s Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), which will link the Visayas and Mindanao islands and realize sharing of power within the entire country. “The Mindanao Backbone is critical to the MVIP because through this project, the new transmission line will accommodate the capacities needed to fully support and utilize the capabilities of the interconnection,” the company added.