The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has set a series of public hearings on the P17.815 billion worth of batch 2 capital expenditure (capex) projects of transmission firm National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

In a notice to relevant parties, the regulatory body announced that the virtual public hearings will be carried out from July 2 to July 30 – and that shall cover expository presentation to Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao stakeholders; pre-trial conference up to the presentation of evidence.

NGCP prayed to the Commission that it be immediately granted provisional approval on its capex projects that are scheduled for implementations within the 2021-2025 regulatory timeframe.

The biggest item in the line-up of the transmission company’s projects would be the P10.016 billion ‘tower resiliency’ undertaking for transmission facilities in the Bicol region – given that this is an area often visited by strong typhoons that have been recurrently inflicting damage on its power facilities.

“The project aims to replace all existing steel tower structures of the Naga-Tiwi-Daraga and Daraga-Tublijon transmission lines with 180-kilometer per hour wind speed design to further withstand strong typhoons,” NGCP has stated in its filing with the ERC.

The other major items are the retrofitting and fit-out works to be done at NGCP’s main office, its System Operations Building and National Control Center in Quezon City which will command total investment of P2.846 billion; and then the 69-kilovolt Tacurong-Kalamansig line which will require capital outlay of P1.939 billion.

The company is similarly lining up purchases of furniture, equipment and tents; re-fleeting of vehicles; substation infrastructure fire protection program; acquisition and rehabilitation of firefighting equipment; as well as substation air condition unit replacement programs.

Also in the roll of the company’s capex projects are:acquisition of air-conditioning units; construction and rehabilitation of guesthouses and quarters; construction of warehouses; and the construction of laydown areas and document centers.

NGCP is likewise pursuing the rehabilitation of the District 2 administrative office building at its La Trinidad substation, purportedly “to address the prevailing issue on water leaks which is prevalent over the years that contributed mainly to the building’s deterioration.”

Further, the company will be constructing facilities at its various project sites – and these shall include multi-purpose hall, mess hall, motor pool, offices and parking areas.

The rest of the projects include installations of roll-up shatters in glass doors and windows; rehabilitation of security guard houses; and then rehabilitation and construction of perimeter wall, access roads and walkways.

The company is likewise targeting to establish its ‘enterprise architecture’ that shall enable it to streamline and automate its core functions and activities “in order to optimize the available resources while minimizing unnecessary costs and efforts and improving the internal business processes.”