The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has set new grid technical standards based on the practices of international power utilities to improve their services.
The grid operator, which is aiming to be one of the best power utilities in Southeast Asia, set 109 standards on equipment and material specifications, project and construction management, planning and design, maintenance and testing, and operations.
“Setting these standards has made designing new projects and maintaining existing lines easier, but, at the same time, more stringent. The standards serve as design references for new project requirements, hence, consistent quality is ensured across our projects and maintenance activities,” NGCP said.
The grid operator said it has also completed the design standards for substations, control and protection systems, telecom facilities, steel pole and lattice transmission line structure, civil works structures, reducing design man-hours and ensuring the highest degree of reliability.
The standards are kept up to date to be able to match current technologies and the needs of the company’s operations. Drafting the new standards involved factors such as natural disasters and the high temperature and humidity in the Philippines.
Its new Network Protection System was also put in place, designed to speedily identify risks to grid integrity, like line faults and voltage fluctuations. This will also enable NGCP to act with little energy lost and with regard to health, property, and the environment.
“The Network Protection System is yet another step towards a smarter grid. We prioritized setting these standards to improve the quality of our service to grid customers. Our customers are assured that all NGCP facilities across the country adhere to these standards and practices which are at par with our international counterparts,” the grid operator said.
NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid.
