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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider NGCP assumes control of Aklan grid link after ERC order

NGCP assumes control of Aklan grid link after ERC order

Published Dec 19, 2025 06:50 pm
National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) formally assumed ownership and operation of the 69-kilovolt transmission line in Aklan province, moving to stabilize a power link that has been plagued by outages and technical decay.
In a statement on Friday, Dec. 19, NGCP said the grid operator took over the Caticlan-Unidos line following the directive from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), which reclassified the asset from sub-transmission to a transmission facility.
The move allows NGCP to bypass long-standing operational hurdles previously managed by the Aklan Electric Cooperative Inc., or Akelco.
NGCP is currently remediating an overhead bypass line that was originally built as a temporary fix for a damaged segment near Caticlan Airport. Recent investigations attributed a string of power failures to salt spray corrosion and water wave splash.
To mitigate these environmental risks, NGCP said it is constructing an adjusted bypass line away from the shoreline, with energization scheduled for this month.
The transition follows an ERC decision in November 2024 that mandated the transfer once the line’s function evolved to support the broader grid.
Urgency for the takeover peaked in September after Akelco acknowledged it lacked the financial capacity to repair the damaged 69kV cable. By October, the regulator ordered NGCP to intervene to safeguard the province’s electricity supply.
Despite the formal handover, NGCP said it has yet to issue a Certificate of Acceptance due to reservations. The company cited the need for extensive pole and line replacements and a lack of proper right-of-way documentation.
The infrastructure’s fragility was underscored earlier this month by a series of brownouts that occurred shortly after the handover.
The grid operator plans a full reconductoring of the line to be completed by March 2026. Because Akelco lacked the necessary spare materials, NGCP said it has procured the equipment independently to expedite the work.
Beyond the immediate repairs, NGCP is pushing to complete the Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay 138kV transmission project by August 2026.
While the 138kV project is not a direct fix for the current 69kV issues, it will provide a new backbone and alternative routing to strengthen the region’s power stability. The project has faced numerous external delays since 2019, which the ERC has formally recognized as reasonable.

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