President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during his third SONA on July 22, 2024. (Screenshot from RTVM)
MANILA – The interconnectivity of power grids of the three major island groups is touted as one of the critical achievements of the Marcos administration.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) Monday that his administration was able to fulfill the vision of a unified Philippine grid that was conceived in the 1980s.
This, as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) energized major transmission line projects across the country this year.
This month alone, the Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line was inaugurated. This line spans the provinces of Bataan, Pampanga, and Bulacan, which will further strengthen the reliability of the Luzon power grid.
Also this month, NGCP energized the Dumanjug-Corella 230kV Line 1 and Dumanjug 70-megavolt amperes reactive (MVAR), which are part of the Cebu-Bohol 230kV Interconnection Project. This interconnectivity project has a capacity of transferring 600 megawatts of power into the grid.
Another critical transmission project in the Visayas grid that was energized last April is the Cebu-Negros-Panay backbone project.
“This project shall serve to stabilize the power situation in Western and Central Visayas, and avert recurrences of power outages experienced in the past,” President Marcos said.
He said this transmission line was able to avert blackouts in Panay Island between April and June when the Luzon and Visayas grids experienced red and yellow alerts.
Last Jan. 26, the NGCP energized the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP).
“Energy sharing and transfers between, among, and within the three island groups have now been made possible with the energization last January of the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection,” President Marcos said.
“The energization of the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection is a defining moment not only for the power sector but for the entire country. Finally, we have connected the power grids of all three major island groups,” he added. (PNA)
