New substation eyed in Calamba

MANILA, Philippines - The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is seeking approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to start construction of a new substation in Calamba City, Laguna.

With an estimated cost of P883 million, the substation is targeted to start operations in the first quarter of 2016, NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said.

In its application with the ERC, NGCP said the project aims to serve the Laguna sector of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s biggest power distributor.

Specifically, the project would entail construction of a new 230-kilovolt (kV) substation and transmission line extension from the existing Binan-Bay 230-kV line.

With a proposed capacity of 600 megavolt-amperes (MVA), the Calamba substation is seen to serve the long-term requirement of the loads from industrial parks in Laguna and Batangas, NGCP said.

Meralco’s Laguna sector is NGCP’s largest customer and is currently tapping electricity from 230/115kV NGCP substations. These are the Biñan, Malamig (Sta. Rosa), and Calauan substations.

Alabanza said the addition of the Calamba substation would ease the load from the existing Malamig and Calauan substations during power outages, which would in turn secure the transmission of electricity in Laguna.

“Once energized, the Calamba substation will be strategically located midway of Sta. Rosa and Calauan substations. NGCP aims to address the required N-1 contingency that will support the bulk of the load in the area,” she said.

This means that the project is seen to address the N-1 contingency requirement of the Malamig (Sta. Rosa) and Calauan substation, and the Calauan-Los Baños 115 kV distribution line.

The so-called N-1 contingency is a requirement under the Philippine Grid Code, which refers to the ability of the grid to withstand the loss of a major system component with minimal disruption in the system.

“Apart from expansion of the grid, NGCP focuses on the reliability of the system by ensuring minimal disruptions. Every system will suffer a glitch once in a while. N-1 will ensure that our customers won’t feel those glitches if the redundancies are in place,” Alabanza said.