The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said on Wednesday that it has fully restored power transmission in Mindanao following the devastation left by Typhoon Odette.
This comes as it has re-energized the 69-kilovolt (kV) Placer-Madrid line, the last of the Odette-affected transmission lines in the Mindanao Grid.
In addition, the 69kV Ubay-Alicia-Garcia line in Bohol went back in service on Thursday afternoon.
As a result of these developments, NGCP has restored 88% or 84 of the 95 transmission links hit by Odette.
Three more 69kV lines in Leyte and one in Bohol are targeted for restoration this New Year’s Eve, while two 138kV lines in Cebu are up for re-energization by January 16, 2022.
Bohol is particularly expected to go on island operation, meaning that power would be sourced and transmitted locally, today. NGCP has yet to repair the two special transmission towers in Ubay town, which Odette brought down during its onslaught. The two towers are part of the Leyte-Bohol interconnection, from which 60% of Bohol normally gets its power.
Other than rebuilding the two towers, which NGCP already described as an “engineering challenge,” the grid firm cited accessibility to the damaged facilities and to fuel, as well as weather as factors hampering restoration efforts. Bohol and Southern Leyte are expected to receive moderate to heavy rains.
“This will significantly slow down our restoration works kung patuloy yung mga pag-ulan na ganito kasi yung pagpunta doon pa lamang sa mga restoration sites will be really challenging kung maputik yung daraanan ng aming mga linemen,” NGCP Engineering Project Management Department Head Randy Galang said in a news briefing on Wednesday.
“So hopefully, in the coming days, gumanda yung panahon para tuluy-tuloy na makakuha tayo ng momentum in terms of completing the restoration works,” he added.
Aside from Bohol and Southern Leyte, the grid firm is working on fully restoring transmission services in Negros Oriental.
As for the distribution aspect, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) said that electricity services remain completely out in Bohol (except Tagbilaran City), Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands, and Siargao Island.
Of the said areas, only Dinagat Islands is not part of the country’s major power grids. Tagbilaran City, meanwhile, is covered by Bohol Light Company, Inc. — a private distribution utility. NEA only covers electric cooperatives.