The Supreme Court (SC) lifted the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on the portion of the Hermosa-San Jose 500 kiloVolt (kV) transmission line (HSJ).
By releasing the TRO, NGCP would be able to move forward with the final stages of the project, which are essential for securing transmission services in Luzon.
“We are happy that the Supreme Court thoroughly studied the case and found no merit in the petitions filed against NGCP. This will enable us to complete the remaining portion of the HSJ which will better serve the bulk generation coming in from Bataan,” said NGCP.
A TRO was issued to stop the building and expropriation of a portion of the HSJ that is held by Phirst Park Homes, Inc. (PPHI).
The transmission line had been energized prior to the issuance of the order to facilitate power generation from Bataan with a transfer capacity of 2,000 MW, which represented only a quarter of the full 8,000 MW capacity of Lines 1 and 2.
Following acknowledgment of the TRO, NGCP suspended project-related operations along Towers 170-178 of the involved line, thereby postponing the ongoing stringing of the remaining portion of the line from July 2023 to April 2024.
Following the TRO’s lifting, the grid operator started stringing the line’s impacted portion. Line 1 was finished on May 19, 2024, allowing for 4,000 MW of line capacity. It is anticipated that Line 2 will be completed by mid-July.
The project, which is expected to cost Php17.3 billion, has been approved as an Energy Project of National Significance (EPNS). Its final phase and full energization are essential to allowing more power generation to be added to the grid and preventing power outages throughout Luzon.
