NGCP seeks ERC approval to connect Mindoro, Batangas

THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said it is seeking Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approval for the 500-kilovolt (kV) Batangas–Mindoro Interconnection and Backbone Project (BMIBP).

The NGCP filed an application to the ERC for provisional authority to carry out the P90.65-billion transmission project.

The current power system of Mindoro Island consists of 69-kV transmission lines connected to various load-end substations operated by the Small Power Utilities Group of the National Power Corp., and independent power producers, the company said.

“BMIBP will be able to provide a reliable interconnection facility that can deliver sufficient power from the Luzon grid to immediately address the present and foreseen supply deficiency on the island,” the NGCP said.

With the forecast increase in demand for Mindoro island, the grid operator said that “the current source of power can no longer accommodate future load requirements.”

To help address this, the NGCP is proposing the development of a drawdown substation linked to the existing 69-kV network in Oriental and Occidental Mindoro.

The BMIBP will also provide Mindoro with access to “more reliable and competitive generation sources on the Luzon grid.”

Aside from addressing power supply challenges in Mindoro, the transmission project will also help absorb the output of offshore wind projects with a potential capacity of 28 gigawatts.

The BMIBP will consist of two stages. With an estimated cost of P45.59 billion, the first stage involves the development of a combination of overhead transmission lines and submarine cables from Pinamucan Substation in Batangas to the proposed Calapan substation in Oriental Mindoro.

The second stage, which will cost P45.06 billion, involves the energization to 500 kV of the overhead transmission lines and submarine cables from Pinamucan to Calapan 500-kV substations and the full development of the Calapan 500-kV substation.

“The immediate approval of this application would enable the NGCP to commence with RoW (right-of-way) activities and file the necessary expropriation cases,” the grid operator said. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera