NGCP does not need SSS’6.5-ha land
The
Social Security Commission (SSC) recently said the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) does not need to expropriate as much as 6.5-ha of land in Pasay City owned by the state-run pension fund to construct its 230kV substation.
SSC Chairman Amado D. Valdez said consultations with energy industry experts revealed that NGCP may still construct its Pasay substation with even less than a hectare of land.
“Various consultations with our friends in the energy sector showed that NGCP have constructed a bigger substation with 900mV before and did not use more than two hectares of land. People in the industry are wondering why need a land which is more than what is required for that purpose,” Valdez sai d.
Valdez was referring to the Doña Imelda Substation formerly known as Araneta Substation in Quezon City.
A power industry expert explained that the said substation with 900 mV capacity was employed with gas insulated switchgear (GIS) technology with power circuit breakers installed indoor due to space constraints so it only consumed approximately 2,000 square meters of land.
“If they use the GIS [ for the 230kV substation] , it’ll be less than a hectare. It’s just a bit costly,” the
energy industry expert said. Valdez also warned NGCP that they may lose their land acquisitions prior to its move to expropriate the pension fund’s property in Pasay City if the Supreme Court (SC) will decide in favor of SSS.
Valdez said that if the SC will decide in favor of SSS and grant its petition, NGCP runs the risk of losing its prior land acquisitions which may have been acquired defectively.
“Aside from losing the property of ours that they wish to expropriate, if the SC decide in our favor, I think other land acquisitions made by them should also be reviewed,” Valdez said.
SSS, earlier through the Office of the General Corporate Counsel (OGCC), filed a Petition for Certiorari with prayer for the issuance of Status Quo Ante Order and/ or Writ of Preliminary Mandatory Injunction with the SC.
SSS’ action was prompted by the issuance of a Writ of Possession by Branch 108 of the Regional Trial Court of Pasay City over its prime property consisting of 60,872 square meters located at Diokno Avenue owned by its 34 million m em ber s.
SSS raised the issue of the propriety of NGCP, a private corporation, to expropriate public property already devoted to public purpose.
Valdez said that the action of NGCP is ill-timed considering SSS is now ready to construct its new Corporate Headquarters in the subject area which will house both the SSS and the SSC under one roof.
“This case would put into test the power of expropriation which belongs to the national government being exercised by a private corporation,” he added. (Press Release)