Another transmission project of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in the Visayas grid - the 138-kilovolt Panay-Guimaras interconnection project - will be facing delays due to a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court.

According to the company, the TRO will cause snags to the project, because that will prevent it from advancing the project into its targeted completion.

The high court has issued the TRO in favor of the petition for certiorari and prohibition filed by the Iloilo Grain Complex Corporation (IGCC), which also pleaded for a writ of preliminary injunction.

“The TRO prevented NGCP from executing the writ of possession (WOP),” the transmission firm said, adding that the SC ruling was a follow-through to earlier related orders issued by the Iloilo Regional Trial Court Branch 33.

The company explained that at least two sites fall under the ownership of petitioner-firm IGCC; and the properties are considered crucial component of the ongoing transmission project.

NGCP emphasized “this 1.7-kilometer transmission line will connect the proposed Iloilo substation to the Ingore cable terminal station which will serve as the connection point of the submarine cable to Guimaras Island.”

The company argued that it “fully complied with the requisites for WOP issuance,” specifying that,  it  “continues to reach out to IGCC for an expeditious and amicable settlement.”

However, the transmission firm conveyed that it “hesitates to move forward with the IGCC’s proposal which involves a re-route through a residential area directly traversing five (5) households, as opposed to the open area traversed by the project’s current route covered by the writs of possession.”

NGCP highlighted “any deviation in the established route may also affect adjacent towers and cause further delay to the completion of the project.”  

The transmission firm noted the completion of the project will address portended load growth in Iloilo and will also underpin capacity wheeling of plant-capacities in Guimaras.

“To address load growth in Iloilo, there is a need to construct a new substation. There are also wind power plants in Guimaras. To maximize this, we need to upgrade the existing submarine cable connecting Panay and Guimaras at 138kV level and build a new substation in Guimaras,” NGCP stressed.

Due to the high court verdict, the firm reiterated this “hinders us from fulfilling our commitment to the residents of the islands of Panay and Guimaras, including fast-developing Iloilo City.”

NGCP said “the Panay-Guimaras 138kV interconnection is expected to improve power transmission in the area,” qualifying that this “will address the increasing demand for power in Iloilo City, and provide greater transfer capacity to and from Guimaras Island, where renewable energy projects are being developed.”

While wading through this hurdle on its project implementation, NGCP stated that “in the interest of the public's convenience and the continuing growth of Iloilo, we will do what we can to push the immediate completion of this critical project."