Having been singled out in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., transmission firm National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has given its commitment to complete its delayed transmission projects immediately. The company emphasized that the priority projects for completion to commercial operations are  the Mindanao Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), and stage 3 of the Cebu-Negros-Panay (CNP) project. NGCP President Anthony L. Almeda said “we agree with the President’s sentiments. Even before the SONA, NGCP has already been working towards the vision that he mentioned… after hearing it straight from him–his vision that is completely aligned with ours–we know we are on the right track and we’re more motivated to complete all our objectives in a prompt manner.” The MVIP, in particular, will concretize the country’s long time goal of having a single grid linked nationwide that will then enable the sharing of capacities and reserves across grids. This will be critically helpful for energy-starving Luzon grid because it can have access on surplus capacity from the Mindanao grid. The maximum carrying capacity of the MVIP is set at 450 megawatts, the scale or volume that can be wheeled from Mindanao to Luzon and Visayas grids. For the reinforcement of the CNP transmission facility, this will free up congested capacity in the Negros area where most of the solar plants are sited. This will be highly beneficial in shoring up capacity during summer months, which is also the peak generation period for the solar facilities. “Both crucial projects have been partially energized, with the MVIP on track to be fully energized to 450MW by the third quarter of this year,” NGCP conveyed. It qualified though that to expedite these projects, all local government units are being asked “to extend essential support by promptly granting relevant permits and providing necessary assistance in addressing right-of-way issues that have hindered the smooth implementation of these projects.” The President cited at least 68 delayed projects that have to be acted upon immediately by NGCP; while the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) recently issued ‘show cause order’ to the company for at least 37 delayed projects - and that came with corresponding threat of penalty imposition if there are no acceptable explanation provided for the project delays. “NGCP pledged its commitment to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.'s 2023 energy initiatives, as expressed in his recent SONA. NGCP vows to concentrate all available resources toward the completion of ongoing transmission projects while expediting others in the pipeline,” the transmission firm stated. It similarly indicated that it will be extending all out support to the government’s ‘energy transition agenda’ ushered in by massive scale renewable energy (RE) integration into the power mix – and that in particular, will comprehensively need robust infrastructure buildup on the transmission side of the power supply chain. “Recognizing the importance of increasing the presence of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix, NGCP will draw on its strategic partnership with the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC). Leveraging SGCC's expertise in renewable energy integration, NGCP hopes to bolster its capabilities to hasten the transition to renewable and sustainable energy sources,” it stressed. The transmission company specified that “the collaboration with SGCC allows NGCP to accommodate the increasing adoption of renewable energy technologies into the national grid.” Beyond completion of the delayed projects, NGCP also pledged to “prioritize improving disaster resilience of the grid infrastructure,” adding that such will be executed  via “ongoing and continuous upgrade of equipment and manpower, especially those that will prevent disruptions, or provide expedient repair, in case of natural disasters.”