NPC awards contracts on rehab of Mindoro transmission lines

State-run National Power Corporation (NPC) had awarded three transmission line contracts for the upgrade as well as system loss reduction for the island-grid of Mindoro.

The company, in a statement to the media, noted that the power firm’s board had already given go-signal for the award of the deals to the winning bidders.

For the rehabilitation of the 69-kilovolt Calapan-Bansud transmission line spanning 44 kilometers, as well as the expansion of the Bansud and San Jose substations and the construction of the Mansalay switching station, the contracts were cornered by DM Consunji, Inc.

On the other, the deal for the rehabilitation of the 69kV 41kilometer Calapan-Puerto Galera transmission line, had been awarded to SL Development Construction Corporation.

According to NPC President Gladys Cruz-Sta. Rita, “these projects will improve power dispatch and enhance system protection of the grid.”

The island-grid for the Mindoro provinces had been among the target facilities for reinforcement and uprating because these have potential to spur further economic activities in the area.

Beyond these system improvements currently being pursued, there is a bigger plan for Mindoro to be linked eventually to a power station that could meet its long-term electricity needs with higher degree of sustainability and reliability.

The plan will be a submarine cable interconnection to a proposed mine-mouth power plant right next to the site of the Semirara coal mine in Antique.

Nevertheless, the Consunji group has proposed an alternative – noting that it might be more cost-effective to put up a power plant within a site in Mindoro, instead of spending R1.4 billion for transmission line connection.