NGCP To Boost Panay Transmission Backbone

In addition to the on-going transmission line construction at the Southern and Western parts of Panay Island, NGCP recently sought the Energy Regulatory Commission’s (ERC) approval on the proposed Eastern Panay transmission network.

The project will augment the existing transmission lines in the Panay grid which currently has only two 138-kilovolt (kV) lines servicing the island.

Based on NGCP’s application with prayer for provisional authority, the proposed transmission corridor “is essential to ensure a stable power grid network and power supply in the island, especially in Iloilo City. With the demand in the Panay Island continuously increasing, the capacities of the existing transmission lines and substations will no longer be adequate in a few years.”

The Eastern Panay transmission project has two substation components and two transmission line components. The substation components include a new substation in Concepcion, Iloilo and the expansion of the Barotac Viejo Substation. A 138-kV double-circuit transmission line from Concepcion Substation to Barotac Substation and a 69-kV single-circuit line from Concepcion Substation to Sara Load-End Substation comprise the transmission line components. Both lines will total 56.2 kilometers.

The project will mainly accommodate the incoming coal-fired power plant of Palm Concepcion Power Corp. with a total capacity of 270 megawatts (MW). By connecting the plant to the island’s sub-grid, it can serve as an alternative power supply to the north eastern part of Panay Island. The said plant’s first unit will be online this year, while the second unit is scheduled to be completed by 2016.

According to NGCP’s projections, the transmission project will also improve the voltage levels in the island and will reduce power transmission loss by 0.4 MW.

“We are focusing our projects in Panay because we foresee a big increase in electricity demand in this area in the near future. The Panay sub-grid must be reliable enough to accommodate larger capacities which we can also export to the rest of Visayas via our submarine cables,” said Henry Sy, Jr., NGCP President and CEO.

The project has an estimated cost of Php 1.6 billion and is expected to be completed 34-months after approval. It is set for initial public hearing on May 27, 2014.