NGCP to spend P1 billion for capacity upgrades

MANILA, Philippines - Transmission service provider National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is spending almost P1 billion for capacity and facility upgrades in several substations in Southern Luzon and the Visayas.

The rehabilitation and upgrades will expand the capacity of transmission lines and ensure adequate contingency measures for the grids, the company said.

Specifically, NGCP will expand the capacity of substations in Cavite and Quezon province. It will also replace old circuit breakers in Camarines Norte and Quezon substations.

The NGCP has allotted P618 million to increase the capacity of its Dasmariñas Extra High Voltage (EHV) Substation.

“The capacity expansion is required to maintain the provision of N-1 contingency during maximum dispatch of Ilijan power plant in Batangas as well as Quezon power plant and Pagbilao coal plants in Quezon,” NGCP said.

N-1 contingency refers to the ability to withstand the loss of a major system component with minimal disruption to the grid.

The project involves the installation of additional capacity both in 500-kilovolt (kV) and 230-kV substations in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

“Work on the project started in September 2011 and is scheduled to be completed during the first quarter of 2013,” NGCP said.

Meanwhile, the transmission service provider is completing the P295-million upgrade of the Tayabas EHV Substation.

“Installation of equipment will ensure efficient, stable and reliable delivery of electrical power to the load center,” NGCP said.

The expansion includes the installation of additional 600 megavolt amperes, 230 kV transformer and improvement in the substation protection and communication system.

It started in June 2011 and is expected to be completed late this year.

Lastly, the NGCP is close to finishing its P73-million modernization of old power circuit breakers at the Labo Substation in Camarines Norte and Gumaca Substation in Quezon province.

“As the power demand continues to grow, old power circuit breakers no longer have the technical capacity to efficiently respond to system disturbances in the power network,” NGCP said.

“Moreover, outmoded power circuit breakers are difficult to maintain due to diminishing supply of spare parts in the market,” it added.

The work program, which involves the installation of four six 230-kV power circuit breakers, began in August 2010 and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter.

The NGCP recovers its investments through fixed rates added to consumers’ electricity bills.

The NGCP allotted roughly P100 billion in capital spending for the creation of new transmission lines and substations, and the expansion of existing facilities nationwide in the next 10 years.

The Transmission Development Plan targets improving power transmission nationwide through the installation of new system reinforcements, development of alternative transmission corridors, prevention of heavy loading and upgrade of existing facilities for the NGCP to be the strongest power grid in Southeast Asia.

NGCP is the private concessionaire of the country’s power transmission network, or the facilities that bring electricity from power plants to private distribution utilities and electric cooperatives.