NGCP spends P316 million to upgrade Pampanga transmission system

MANILA, Philippines — The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has invested P316 million to improve power reliability in Pampanga.

In a statement, the grid operator said it energized its new Hermosa-Floridablanca 69-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line, bringing more reliable transmission services to customers in  Pampanga.

The line will prevent the overloading of the existing and aging Hermosa-Guagua 69 kV line.

“Due to the load growth in the area, the 53-year old existing line cannot accommodate the heavy loading conditions and would have caused problems in the long run,” NGCP said.

“A new line was required to ensure the reliability of power transmission services,” it added.

The P316-million project approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) was included in the list of  projects declared as Energy Project of National Significance (EPNS) last January.

Those declared as EPNS are entitled to all the rights and privileges under Executive Order 30.

Signed by President Duterte in June 2017, EO 30 provides that government agencies concerned with energy projects should presume other agencies were able to act upon and issue their respective permits within a 30-day period.

If not acted upon five days after the lapse of 30 days, these projects are deemed approved.

NGCP said the project also complies with the N-1 component set by the Philippine Grid Code, which is the ability of the grid to withstand a major system disturbance with minimal disruption to the system.

With the new line in place, NGCP will be able to better service the franchise area of the Pampanga II Electric Cooperative (PELCO II).

Apart from the Hermosa-Floridablanca transmission line, NGCP is also working on reliability projects such as the Western Luzon 500 kV backbone project, which will install a new transmission corridor, the Bataan 230 kV reinforcement project, which will serve power customers in Bataan and nearby provinces and accommodate incoming generating capacity, and the Nagsaag-Tumana 69 kV transmission line project, which will serve customers in Pangasinan.