Power project stalled by TRO

NATIONAL Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) on Monday said that a Bataan transmission line project was being unduly delayed as the result of a restraining order secured by a property developer.

“The completion of the Hermosa-San Jose 500-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line is currently stalled due to a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court,” the operator of the country’s power grid said.

“This comes as a TRO was issued against the expropriation and construction on a portion of land owned by Phirst Park Homes, Inc. (PPHI). Upon receiving it on July 6, 2023, NGCP immediately stopped project-related activities along Towers 170-178 of the said line,” it added.

The Hermosa-San Jose line is already partially operational, having been energized on May 27, 2023.

NGCP said it had repeatedly reached out to PPHI to settle the issue, but negotiations were still ongoing.

“Regrettably, it appears that the petition filed by PPHI is merely one of its tactics to obstruct NGCP from finalizing the project, despite numerous rounds of negotiations and proposed out-of-court settlements between the involved parties,” it said.

PPHI representatives were not immediately available for comment.

The Hermosa-San Jose line was described as an energy project of national significance, and that its completion and energization were critical to prevent Luzon-wide power interruptions.

“We at the company have repeatedly expressed our willingness to negotiate further. Still, we assert that the project’s activities can no longer be delayed given the greater national interest in the project’s immediate completion,” NGCP said.

PPHI is a unit of listed firm Century Properties Group, Inc.