Transco to speed up Mindanao power projects

Cagayan de Oro City – To meet the projected power shortfall in Mindanao in the next two years, the National Transmission Corp. (Transco) has committed to fast-track the construction of new transmission lines and the installation of new power transformers to boost the network’s capability to handle increasing loads.

"This projected deficit in power can only be averted with the installation of additional power plants and an improved, more reliable transmission system," Transco president Alan T. Ortiz said.

At present, Mindanao has a surplus capacity of 373 megawatts. However, more than 70 percent of this generating capacity comes from Northern Mindanao with the Southern part only accounting for more than 20 percent.

Demand, on the other hand, is booming in the South, fuelled largely by the economic growth being experienced in the cities of Davao and General Santos which have seen electricity demand increase by 10 percent annually.

To facilitate the transmission of supply from the North to the southern portion of the region, the following projects are expected to be on-line by 2006: Abaga-Kirahon 230 kilovolt (kv) transmission project, Mindanao substation expansion project, Gen. San.-Tacurong-Nuling 138-kv transmission project, Kirahon-Bunawan 230-kv transmission project, Aurora-Dipolog 138-kv transmission project, and the Eastern Mindanao T/L reinforcement, among others.

Ortiz said there is a need to secure vital power installations in Mindanao especially in the light of the projected power shortage in the region by 2006.