NGCP Nears Completion Of Bohol Transmission Backbone Expansion

To keep up with Bohol’s rapid economic development, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is set to complete its Ubay-Corella 138-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line and Corella substation project.

Construction of the Ubay-Corella line will prevent the overloading of the two 69-kV lines in Bohol - Ubay-Trinidad and Ubay-Alicia - in the event that one of the segments experiences an outage. The new transmission line spanning 95 kilometers will pass from the northeast to the southwest area of the island.

Another component of the project is the construction of the new Corella Substation, which will house one 100-megavolt ampere (MVA) transformer, one 138-kV power circuit breaker, and corresponding accessories. It will serve as an alternative drawdown substation of the Ubay Substation and will reduce the said substation’s load by providing a new power delivery point. It will be located near Tagbilaran City, one of the island’s load centers.

“A major consideration for this project is the forecasted increase of both power supply and demand in the island. The completion of the Ubay-Corella line and the Corella Substation will not only address the load forecast, it will also meet the Philippine Grid Code’s N-1 contingency requirement. By completing this project, NGCP aims to fully transmit the power generated from the three generators in Bohol to the public,” states NGCP Spokesperson Atty. Cynthia Perez-Alabanza.

The Bohol Backbone project, with an ERC-approved project cost of Php1.19Bn, also includes the upgrading of the Ubay Substation. Both the transmission line and substation projects commenced construction in November 2010 and are expected to be completed by the last quarter of 2013.

NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid. It transmits high-voltage electricity through “power superhighways” that include the interconnected system of transmission lines, towers, substations, and related assets. NGCP’s regular maintenance activities and expansion projects aim to enhance the reliability and quality of electricity delivered to grid-connected customers like generators, distributors, and large industries.