It has been found.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has found a viable route that would interconnect the Visayas and Mindanao Grids.
In a hydrographic survey by the NGCP, a viable route was determined in the western seaboard – from Cebu to Dipolog – to implement the planned interconnection.
“NGCP is pleased to report that we already finished the hydrographic survey that will determine the route of the Visayas-Mindanao Interconnection Project (VMIP). With this development, we now have a clearer plan on the project’s implementation. Power resource sharing between the country’s major islands will now become a reality,” NGCP said.
The company will now proceed with the preparations for the design, cost estimate, and the update of system simulation study using the Cebu – Dipolog route, to complete the documents needed for the Energy Regulatory Commission application by April 2017.
“We need the support of the government, the Energy Regulatory Commission, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the different local government units the project will traverse, among others, to push this forward. With their full support, we are confident that we will be able to complete this project on time,” it said.
NGCP is also calling for the support of the public and its stakeholders for the project’s implementation.
“NGCP assures its stakeholders of the company’s dedication to determine the most reliable and cost-efficient path to completion. This is a large undertaking. We want this facility to be state-of-the-art, as well as sturdy enough to last generations,” it said.
“Ensuring the quality and reliability of power transmission services to both Visayas and Mindanao customers is of paramount importance,” the company added.
Meanwhile, the Luzon and Visayas grids have been connected through the Naga – Ormoc High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) line.
The NGCP is a privately – owned company that operates, maintains, and develops the country’s power grid.
There is no justification for this subsea transmission line. This will only add burden to the consumers as this is high cost and high risk project. The beneficiary of this project are the coal fired power plants planned to be installed in Mindanao as this will soon exceed demand in this area. Putting additional power generation in Cebu, Negros, Iloilo and Bohol is a better option than relying on this NGCP submarine transmission line form Mindanao.