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Gatchalian seeks Senate inquiry into delays in 16 NGCP transmission projects ​

Published May 21, 2023 06:45 am
    Sixteen (16) transmission projects of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) that were considered Energy Projects of National Significance (EPNS) were delayed and only six of them have reached completion, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Sunday, May 21.   Gatchalian said the six that have been accomplished represents only about 37.5 percent completion rate as of March 2023. But NGCP has already been collecting fees even before their completion.   “Ang masama dito, nangongolekta na sa atin at nagbabayad na tayo ng pera sa mga proyektong hindi pa natin nakikita (The negative thing here is that they have started collecting fees for these projects and we are paying the money for these projects that we have yet to see),” said Gatchalian.    Gatchalian has filed Senate Resolution No. 616, asking the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry on the delayed development of electric transmission facilities and provision of electric transmission services by the NGCP, in a bid to ensure a reliable and continuous power supply in the country.   The senator said the NGCP’s failure to complete such projects on time is causing significant delays in the development and operation of generation facilities, eventually affect the total electric power supply in the country.   Implementation of EPNS projects had been delayed by an average of three (3) years while those not yet completed are delayed by about five (5) years already, according to Gatchalian.   Also, the lawmaker revealed that out of the 168 projects under the Transmission Development Plan (TDP)—excluding 56 projects that are in the pre-construction stage—only 30 projects have been completed while 138 projects are delayed.   “The delay causes a multi-layered impact. When we talk about attracting investments into the country, the power supply is a fundamental consideration.  How can we attract investors if we don’t have adequate supply and if it’s too costly?” Gatchalian pointed out.   He cited as an example the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project which, once completed, will enable the country to have one grid. The project, with a full transfer capacity of 450 megawatts (MW), was originally scheduled to start operation in December 2020.    The senator also pointed to the Cebu-Negros-Panay 230 kilovolts (kV) Backbone Stage 3 Project, originally set for completion in December 2020, which would increase transfer capacity from 200 MW to 800 MW.  Another is the Hermosa–San Jose 500 kV Transmission Line Project, originally set for completion in 2019, which is expected to ease congestion in the Bataan Corridor with its capacity to accommodate 4,700 MW.   “As the sole backbone for the transmission of electricity throughout the country, the NGCP is duty bound in ensuring that it is able to adequately serve generation companies, distribution utilities, and suppliers requiring transmission and ancillary services through transmission system,” Gatchalian said.   In a statement, the NGCP’s TDP detailed that these priority projects to improve transmission backbones and alternative transmission corridors are set to be completed this year 2023.   “NGCP’s P-300-billion grid expansion, reinforcement, and upgrading initiatives from 2009 to present, as well as those in the pipeline, are meticulously planned by our engineers and updated year after year with careful consideration for the needs of every single area in the country,” NGCP said in a statement.    “We continue to be hopeful that improvements in all 3 (three) sectors of the power delivery system are in sync with each other, so that one sector is not made to be the sole or principal solution to challenges in the other sectors,” the company stressed.   “Our stakeholders can be assured that we remain committed to improving and delivering reliable power transmission services,” NGCP said. 

Related Tags

electricity supply in PH Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian Power outage National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP)
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