The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is set to lead several major facility improvement programs this year in upgrading and strengthening the country’s power transmission network.
“When we took over, it was very clear to us that upgrading and improving the failing and aging facilities we inherited from the National Transmission Corporation (Transco) was top priority,” The NGCP said in a statement.
This year, there are 24 transmission projects set for completion, while 26 are in the middle of completion. 22 projects are also set to begin this year, the transmission company said.
“In total, that’s an additional 674.9 ct.km. of lines to be added to the country’s transmission network for 2017 alone,” it said.
The projects pursued by NGCP includes the Luzon 500kV backbone project, the Cebu-Negros-Panay backbone project, and the Mindanao 230kV backbone project.
“Another aspect of NGCP’s commitment is to ensure that all its facilities are well-maintained and reliable. Our continuous auditing of existing assets has resulted in a preventive replacement program designed to mitigate any unplanned transmission outages. The program outlines the replacement of aging towers and poles and substation equipment over the next four years,” NGCP said.
NGCP is set to replace 2, 134 wood poles, that are considered grid facilities, with steel structures. While 417 poles that are residual sub-transmission assets will also be replaced.
“Since 2009, NGCP has installed a total of 13,200 megavolt-amperes (MVA) of substation capacity. Moving forward, over 30 transformers in substations across the country are also set to be replaced between 2017 and 2019. Nine transformers with 300MVA, 100MVA, and 50MVA ratings located in critical areas such as Las Piñas, San Jose, and Naga, among others, are expected to be replaced this year alone. That’s an additional 1,480 MVA in substation capacity over the next 3 years,” NGCP said.