NGCP assures stable power supply for May polls

MANILA, Philippines - The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the country’s power transmission service provider, has assured reliable and stable electricity supply for the May elections.

NGCP has formed a special task force which will responsible for the smooth transmission of electricity and the creation of contingency plans and measures during the elections, a top company official said.

Cynthia Alabanza, NGCP spokesperson, said the task force would start its operations as early as February 2013 and will work 24/7 from May 10 to 17, 2013, covering the date of the election on May 13.

The task force will strive to ensure uninterrupted power during the elections and in the days after the counting of the ballots.

Alabanza said NGCP creates a task force every election season to guarantee uninterrupted power transmission during the period.

The task force will help secure the lines and substations against threats to avoid unplanned outages.

NGCP will also defer its maintenance activities one week before and one week after the elections to make all the transmission assets available for power delivery.

“We will make sure that power delivery is excellent and transmission lines and equipment are at their best to ensure that we have electricity for the voting machines,” she said.

However, Alabanza conceded that NGCP could only guarantee that there would be no transmission-related interruptions.

“Any power interruption caused by other factors, such as generation deficiencies, or those pertaining to distribution utility operations, are beyond our control,” she said.

Earlier this month, the Department of Energy (DOE) created a Power Task Force intended to secure the country’s power supply for the mid-term elections.

NGCP is also a member of the DOE-led task force.

NGCP operates, maintains and develops the country’s transmission highway owned by state-owned National Transmission Corp. It transmits high-voltage electricity through transmission lines, towers and substations.

It is a joint venture between State Grid Corp. of China and Henry Sy Jr., the eldest son of mall magnate Henry Sy.