NGCP breaks ground interconnection project

NATIONAL Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) simultaneously broke ground the Mindanao-visayas Interconnection Project’s cable terminal stations in the municipality of Santander, Cebu and Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte recently.

This is a testament to its commitment to complete the project and realize one Philippine grid in 2020, a press release from the company said.

The cable terminal stations served as the landing points of the two 92-kilometer submarine cables which will carry around 450 megawatts (MW) of power from the Visayas and Mindanao, and vice versa.

“This is just the first in a long series of small achievements towards the successful completion of this project,” NGCP stated. “We are confident that the NGCP team will exhibit the commitment and skills needed to push the project and realize the interconnected transmission network within the committed timeframe.”

The MVIP, provisionally approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission last 2017, is considered the biggest power infrastructure project in the history of the country.

Apart from the submarine cables and cable terminal stations, the P52 billionproject also entails the installation of 526 circuit-kilometers of overhead transmission lines, high-voltage direct current converter stations, and various upgrades to substations in both regions.

In May this year, the Department of Energy also certified the MVIP as an Energy Project of National Significance in order to streamline and expedite the needed documents for the construction and completion of the project.

“We call on our stakeholders, concerned government agencies and units, communities, consumer groups, and the public, to support us as we advance towards completing the MVIP, and implement a broader inter-island connectivity,” said NGCP.

NGCP is a Filipino-led privately-owned company in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid led by majority shareholders Henry Sy Jr. and Robert Coyiuto Jr./ PR